I was told that a deer lives within 1 square mile of where they were born, as long as the habitat is plentiful. The state does what it can to enrich that habitat. Recently l read of silt removal from a local creek that didn’t do a great job and found industrial lubricants and arsenic. Does the habitat get effected from this runoff ?
 

Are there any studies showing what bass do from where they hatch ? I know they spawn from down river to the area they they are fished. Once spawned do the females die die typically ?

 

 

On 5/31/2023 at 7:56 PM, biggin said:

 

Are there any studies showing what bass do from where they hatch ?

 

YouTube Ken Smith series with Todd Driscoll 

On 6/27/2021 at 7:23 AM, Catt said:

Gary Klein & Rick Clunn on numerous videos stated anglers put to much emphasis on rods, reels, lines, & lures and not enough on the angler.

 

Gosh, I'm glad to read ^this." I don't know why, but I can't keep track of which rod and which line I should use with which lure, even though I watch YouTube video after YouTube where it's all explained and reexplained. Heck, I can't even keep track of the lures. You guys will catch a bass and you remember the brand, color (double watermelon and blueberry with tomato and gold flecks), and name of the lure. Your memories are amazing. I'll catch a bass and remember that the lure was black. Maybe.

On 5/26/2007 at 3:32 PM, -badhabit- said:

would rather catch 1 double digit fish than 20 - 5 lb'ers.

Dang. 20 5 lb'ers? Up north if we catch one or two a year we're doing the jig! 

On 6/27/2021 at 7:23 AM, Catt said:

 

Of course you would ?

 

I still stand by what I wrote & YouTube videos by many of the Pros have solidified it.

 

I think it was Jordan Lee who stated on Bass Fishing University what amazed him the most about Pro level fisherman was that they all had 3-4 techniques (topwater, mid-depth, & bottom) that they're really good at & that they "try" to find water that match their strengths.

 

KVD on his show College of Bass started that he only recently learned how aggressive bass really are in cold water. Totally opposite to traditional beliefs.

 

Gary Klein & Rick Clunn on numerous videos stated anglers put to much emphasis on rods, reels, lines, & lures and not enough on the angler.

 

Anglers often respond to failure and frustration by over-complicating theory and technique. As much as it helps our egos to regard a difficult task as complex, this type of thinking is often the biggest obstacle between you and your fishing success.

 

K.I.S.S. ?

 

I've three or four primary lures that I use spring, summer, and fall. I have literally hundreds of lures that I don't use. I tried them and didn't catch bass. My main lures are plopper/popper, Rage Swimmer paddletail, and Zoom Trick worms, so that's topwater, mid-depth, and bottom. Sometimes I have good luck with crankbaits too. I catch bass on topwaters when the water is cold in early spring and again in the fall. I was catching bass on topwater in Maine last March and November. I think of topwaters as an aggressive bass bait and I'm catching aggressive bass in cold water too. 

3 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

I have literally hundreds of lures that I don't use.

I like collecting lures, but 95% have never been wet.

 

 

                                                            

15 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

I like collecting lures, but 95% have never been wet.

You too, eh.  I've got a few dozen spinners...but maybe 1/2 dozen have seen water...a few buzzbaits, all are still dry...couple dozen jigs but only really use 2-3...etc-etc-etc.

On 9/19/2023 at 9:03 AM, MacJig said:

Dang. 20 5 lb'ers? Up north if we catch one or two a year we're doing the jig! 

I havent caught a 5# smallie out of my river in the last five years. Out of maybe 1.5k smallies.

 

 

 But d**n a 4# smallie in current on a spinning setup is a huge rush.

On 10/3/2023 at 8:18 PM, PaulVE64 said:

I havent caught a 5# smallie out of my river in the last five years. Out of maybe 1.5k smallies.

 

 

 But d**n a 4# smallie in current on a spinning setup is a huge rush.

 

Heck, yeah, it is. Current multiplies their strength two ways, for the current pulls and bass who live in current are stronger. The strength of a river smallie or a striped bass who lives in the tides is stunning.  

Was a good year on the river

On 5/25/2007 at 2:30 PM, Catt said:

So I simply go fishing any time I can, using the techniques I have confidence in, & I let the chips fall where they may.

Exactly! I've learned that the bass don't read the same books, webpages, and threads that I do. Countless times when I thought the conditions were going to result in a slammin' day only proved to a day of a thousand casts and very few fish. I no longer give any weight to my former bass metric. I recognize that it's there and I'm hopeful but that's as far as it goes. I'll fish when I can and relish the experience.

The puzzle has not been solved yet.  And you are not alone when you ask yourself those questions.  The next few lines are from Britt Myers about his latest MLF experience at Dale Hollow: 

 

‘’Literally, I never fished anywhere today that I fished the first day,” Myers said. “I think those fish are just roaming anywhere from 4 foot to 30 foot. And I know it sounds crazy. I don’t understand that. It’s against everything in the bass fishing handbook. But that’s what’s going on.”

 

Join the gang !

 

Tom Mann one of if not THE founding father of soft plastics for bass fish made a quote I read over 35 years ago: "90% of fishing lures catch far more fisherman than fish" or something along those lines.

Been fishing steadily for bass, pan fish, walleye, northern pike salmon and trout for over 50 years now. Although admittedly 70% of the time I am chasing bass LM or SM. But only really made an all out effort to be as successful and versatile bass fisherman the last six years as I could mostly because my two sons convinced me they truly wished to become far more successful bass fisherman. 

 

From the 1980's till 2018 I fished soft plastics, spinnerbaits and Rapala balsa minnow baits 90-95% of the time. 

After last six years of trying all kinds of new soft plastic colors beyond my old faithfuls I found myself always going back to a few colors that always worked. Watermelon red flake, Green Pumpkin red or blue flake, Okeechobee craw, BLK/BLU, BLU flek fire tail. Three new soft plastic colors I tried and worked well for me were June Bug, Tilapia, and red bug.  Four things I did start trying 5 years ago that improved my fishing tremendously was chatterbaits and soft plastic swim baits both straight tail and boot foot tails and different kinds of soft plastics namely creature/bugs, 8" and 10" worms and bush hog type baits rigged Texas style and now this year will try free rig method. 

I also must give most of the credit for my improved success from trying new baits and colors to YT fishing channels learned all my new fishing techniques from YT fishing channels.

Despite having invested over $250 in a dedicated rod and reel just for jig fishing and another $80 in jigs and jig trailers, I have yet to fish a jig this year as I was catching just to many bass and good quality bass by other means and the time I would have used to learn how to fish jigs I instead spent teaching my boys how to fish soft plastics, flukes, chatter and spinner baits this spring so far.

My youngest did catch and release his PB largemouth this year fishing a chatterbait exactly the way I showed him as taught to me by Matt Stefan on his YT channel. 

 

Three days ago was in Ohio by Cedar Point AP and was fishing parallel along a rock/boulder shore of a marina in a public park on the shores of lake Erie and watched a very nice largemouth following my 3/8oz chatterbait and when the luer got close to me, I allowed the bait to fall onto a flat rock and I kept twitching over the rocks to give it some life like movement and sure enough the bass sucked it up and I caught and quickly released her.

LOTS of great shore access bass fishing in the areas around Cedar Point AP.

On 4/12/2024 at 9:05 AM, Reel said:

I don’t understand that.

 

Quote

 I've learned that the bass don't read the same books, webpages, and threads that I do. Countless times when I thought the conditions were going to result in a slammin' day only proved to a day of a thousand casts and very few fish. I no longer give any weight to my former bass metric. I recognize that it's there and I'm hopeful but that's as far as it goes. I'll fish when I can and relish the experience.

 

I often say the same. This spring, whenever I went to a familiar pond, the bass were in a different place. This last week was the exception when I fished the same pond three times in four day and they stayed put, allowing me to catch 154 in three mornings. However, I figure that when I launch next week, I'll be back to square one and will have to bumble my way around the water until I find them again and determine what they want. 

 

#Icatchbassbybumblingandfumbling 

Also, You have to hold your mouth right.😬

Rage Rig a Rage Bug. It works 

I will say this, when I first started fishing, which was roughly forty years ago, I didn’t catch very many fish. Many days were skunk days. Fast forward forty years, I have many good days, some excellent, some not the greatest and very very rarely skunk. There is definitely more skill and instinct involved in some fishermen. Of course the luck factor is there but I do my best to rely on luck as little as possible. 

After fishing for over thirty years; I have found this about Bass Fishing:

New lures typically are that; new.  New lures to me, are like new calibers in firearms.  Sometimes I think they come up with new calibers for firearms to sell more firearms.  Same with fishing lures.  Generally, improvements on tried and true lures, are generally better, because you are taking a proven concept and making it better.  New lures are generally the victim of the good idea fairy.  They need some time to be in the water before I'm willing to pull out a wallet for one.

I don't know who said it, but it rings true.

"Change is weak.  Mastery is strong."

Be good on stuff you know that already works, and then become really good at it.

When I was sixteen, I ditched live bait and have nearly fished with artificial lures the whole time since.  Primarily because I liked the challenge.  And over the years, the companies might change, the design of the lures might change, the way to rig them might change, but Plastic Lures, Chatterbaits, Rattletraps, Jerkbaits, Poppers, Spinnerbaits and Jigs have caught the lions share of what I've snatched out the water.   Stuff that has been around for a long, LONG time.   I'm not saying to avoid exotic/unusual lures (I'm still a big fan of tailspinners since I was turned on to them in the 90's), all I am saying is try not to reinvent the wheel.  The fish certainly aren't.

 

No one knows what a bass knows but a bass.

This thread is absolutely awesome!

 

I'm just getting back into bass fishing in the last 2 years and man so many days I skunked. I'm finally getting better (still a long way to go!) and it started with me eliminating all the different lures I was getting hung up on and just fishing a T-rigged worm or a finesse jig. 

 

I love that this thread is 18 yrs old. 

On 3/4/2025 at 2:21 AM, Sp33dSnake said:

After fishing for over thirty years; I have found this about Bass Fishing:

New lures typically are that; new.  New lures to me, are like new calibers in firearms.  Sometimes I think they come up with new calibers for firearms to sell more firearms.  Same with fishing lures.  Generally, improvements on tried and true lures, are generally better, because you are taking a proven concept and making it better.  New lures are generally the victim of the good idea fairy.  They need some time to be in the water before I'm willing to pull out a wallet for one.

I don't know who said it, but it rings true.

"Change is weak.  Mastery is strong."

Be good on stuff you know that already works, and then become really good at it.

When I was sixteen, I ditched live bait and have nearly fished with artificial lures the whole time since.  Primarily because I liked the challenge.  And over the years, the companies might change, the design of the lures might change, the way to rig them might change, but Plastic Lures, Chatterbaits, Rattletraps, Jerkbaits, Poppers, Spinnerbaits and Jigs have caught the lions share of what I've snatched out the water.   Stuff that has been around for a long, LONG time.   I'm not saying to avoid exotic/unusual lures (I'm still a big fan of tailspinners since I was turned on to them in the 90's), all I am saying is try not to reinvent the wheel.  The fish certainly aren't.

 

 

I regret buying most of the lures I purchased in the last three years. I can catch the vast majority of my bass on an underspin the first half of the fishing year and a popper in the second half. When I die, someone will have to do something with the thousand unused lures in my basement.

Funny how bass fishing teaches you patience… and minimalism. The more I fish, the less I carry — and somehow, the more I enjoy it.

Glade this thread is still going and relevant!
For various reasons I haven’t fished but sparingly in the last couple years. I will say I have been skunked on the last few outings and have had very little success so far this Spring.

Coming from a bass boat and downsized to my canoe with four rod holders, which is exactly what I’m trying to carry has been challenging. So far I'm stuck at five rigs just because I have dedicated swim jig and Texas rig set ups which I retie less often. The rods, 1 spinning, four casting are all MBR all-purpose so any lure or bait is fair game. A minimal boat and gear change has completely changed how, and where I fish but the simple set up I find really enjoyable.

 

I still carry to many “options” in lures and Lord help me in picking “the” perfect  plastic. My only issue with plastics is they come in too large a quantity packages. Having to buy a 10 or dozen package just to have a different color quickly adds bulk to the plastics bag.

 

I have also tried to go back to the basics; t-rig, top water, swim bait a couple different jig configurations with variations of each. Still carry several spinnerbaits, chatterbaits,  crankbaits, jerkbaits and waaaayyy too many plastics, but I’m trying.

 

I’ve watched many YouTube videos with thousands of presentation methods and baits and it has just added to the frustration. I believe there is too much emphasis on the gear and not the process, everyone trying to sell something. A beginner would be hard pressed to find videos on “how” to fish successfully but can find everything on “what” to fish. Editing does wonders for the success rate!

 

For myself dedication to time on the water is the next improvement.

On 5/25/2007 at 2:30 PM, Catt said:

I understand that bass fishing is not an exact science

I establish what I believe to be truths & the bass prove its all lies

About the time I think I have the bass figured out the bass prove I don't

All this talk about color, rods, reels, boats, moon phases, can a bass see my line ect is just interesting information

So I simply go fishing any time I can, using the techniques I have confidence in, & I let the chips fall where they may.

I do this sometimes. It is fun to try different methods. 

On 5/15/2025 at 11:20 AM, Motoboss said:

Coming from a bass boat and downsized to my canoe with four rod holders, which is exactly what I’m trying to carry has been challenging.

 

Welcome to the Paddling Clan. 

 

On 5/15/2025 at 11:20 AM, Motoboss said:

I will say I have been skunked on the last few outings and have had very little success so far this Spring.

 

I catch bass when I exploit my canoe's inherent advantages: It's quiet, having no motor, and its stealth is increased by the fact I'm sitting. Thus, I cast short shadows. I don't spook bass, allowing me to fish shallow. I catch many bass in one foot of water and if I leave a soft plastic lure dangling, about half a dozen times this year, a bass has grabbed it, telling me that they're not scared of my quiet canoe.