A very interesting and insightful thread.

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

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!

 

Yep, gear is overrated, HOWEVER the kid LOVES gear and I expect many of you guys do too. The kid bought a new Daiwa baitcaster and he loves to wax about how pretty it is. I own a couple Shimano Stellas ($$$$) and he's enamored of them, but he noted how they're scratched and scuffed. 

 

I explained, "That's because I carry through the woods in the dark. They've been lugged miles on wilderness portages. They've bounced in the back of my off-road vehicles on logging roads. And on and on and on. They've earned their dings."

 

I don't care that they've lost their luster. They still catch bass. 

 

Speaking of the kid, he caught two bass over four pounds this morning. Here's one of them:

 

 

His other one was bigger, but it was photographed with the Sun directly behind him. I can't fish, but the kid can and he's nailed 'em!

 

As far as Motoboss's comment about editing doing wonders for the success rate, that's so true. I'll see a YouTuber catch ONE bass and then turn to the camera to explain how you too can catch, er, one bass, I guess.

 

Al @Lottabass caught 52 over five pounds a few summers back and he lives in Iowa. Catch 52 over five pounds in Texas and I'll say, "Good job."

 

Catch 52 over five pounds in Iowa and I...

 

 

And then I'll politely ask, "Can you teach me how to do that too?"

 

But catch ONE bass and you want to teach me? C'mon!

22 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

But catch ONE bass and you want to teach me? C'mon!

This is precisely what I was referring to in our PM when I was saying “too many people catch a few fish and immediately think they figured it out”.

 

That’s modern fishing and the internet age. There’s still just something to be said for real, live experiences over simply watching YouTube or reading a website and running out copying that.
 

As much as this over saturation is annoying, it still allows mindful anglers with “good” knowledge and skills the ability to slip in quietly behind internet hero guy and catch 5 bass from the spot he just left. I dig that vibe and while I’m not out to be the best, I’m still out to be better than you 😎. Stay hungry and you’ll always fish hard; fish hard and you’ll always catch fish 

2 hours ago, JonB2 said:

Stay hungry and you’ll always fish hard; fish hard and you’ll always catch fish 

 

I fish hard up to a point, but I take time to show others how to catch fish and I show them my honey holes because there should be more to fishing than just me/ME/ME catching fish. As I've written several times, if someone is in the bow of my canoe and I outfish them, I failed them. 

 

 

I fish hard to maximize benefit of my time on the water. 99.9% of the time I'm out there alone. If one of my fishing buddies is with me, I might seem impolite by being so focused, but I'm there to try to catch fish. If I'm managing to be doing well and my buddies aren't, I'll paddle over to them and give them the lures that are working for me so they can catch some fish. 

 

Bass are an enigma that I'll probably never figure out. In addition, the pond I fish seems to have it's own personality and likes to screw with my head. When I think I might be seeing a trend develop, it throws me a curve ball and changes everything up. Maybe I'm too slow on the uptake but both the bass and the pond seem to always be a step ahead of me. I kind of like it that way because it's always challenging and something new.

It's heresy to admit, but I'm content with taking a break from bass fishing. Come spring, of course, I'll be raring to go again, but just now, taking a break is okey-dokey. For example, I hosted a brunch yesterday and visited a friend yesterday evening. There's a dinner party today and I'm meeting another pal for coffee shortly. So, not fishing means there's more time and energy to break bread with buds.

 

Plus, I'm a North woman, by heritage (Scot, Irish, and German) and inclination. I choose to live in the North. The northern flora and fauna comfort me. I surf the seasons like my ancestors did. Falling, fiery leaves and glittering snow seem right to me. I actually enjoy a good snowstorm. Firing up the snowblower in a blizzard to stay ahead of the snowfall is exciting. And I've even planted a winter garden that surrounds my house. I look out one window and see a mound of red twig dogwoods. I look out another and see a mound of yellow twig dogwoods. I've planted dozens of thujas, junipers, spruce, and arborvitaes to keep my garden green year-round. I look out my windows in January and it's red, yellow, green, and white. 

 

Again, come spring, I'll want to reach open water and dance with bass, but for now, I'm good. 

 

On 8/18/2025 at 10:45 AM, Crow Horse said:

When I think I might be seeing a trend develop, it throws me a curve ball and changes everything up.

 

Yep, it's the same way for me. They are always moving and wanting something different. 

 

Quote

Stay hungry and you’ll always fish hard

 

^This^ is pretty much the opposite of what I just wrote. I'm not hungry right now. I'm full of the fish I've caught, even though I released all of them. And I'm full of the fish I didn't catch, the ones I heard feeding on the surface in the dark at four a.m., the ones I saw chasing shad beyond my reach, the ones that surged and broke free. Again, I'm good...for now.

 

 

"It's heresy to admit, but I'm content with taking a break from bass fishing"

 

There is nothing heretic about doing what makes you happy.  Your winter sounds peaceful!

2 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

It's heresy to admit, but I'm content with taking a break from bass fishing

It will be interesting to here what you have to say about your winter break come February. 

The worst thing that can happen to a passionate fisherman is catching a fish on every cast.  I've been there and don't want to go there again.  Yearning is what makes it fun.

20 minutes ago, Reel said:

The worst thing that can happen to a passionate fisherman is catching a fish on every cast.  I've been there and don't want to go there again.  Yearning is what makes it fun.

 

I've had this happen twice in my life and both times I put my outfit down and just watched. 

1 hour ago, Reel said:

The worst thing that can happen to a passionate fisherman is catching a fish on every cast.  I've been there and don't want to go there again.  Yearning is what makes it fun.

I’m not trying to be argumentative but as someone who doesn’t get out as much as I try to I politely disagree. I’ve experienced both scenarios and I’m not saying I’d like to catch them every cast every time but I’d like a few days as such.

I don't necessarily understand why some folks seem to be 'gearheads', especially when I am being one myself.

 

Fishing is different for everyone. Sometimes it's different for me on different days, or even from one moment to the next.

 

Fishing is therapeutic for me. Even thinking about fishing is therapeutic for me. Actually going fishing is the most therapeutic for me. I encourage everyone to enjoy it in whatever legal way suits them.

On 6/30/2021 at 8:37 PM, Catt said:

 

It wasn't that Rick forgot, it was he spent 80% of his career studying bass behavior & 20% studying the food source, he said that was backwards.

Quoted for its excellence & because truly there are a couple of people on BR that could do well to understand this. There is an old saying and it’s obvious to me and to others as well,

 

Match the hatch. Fly fisherman most definitely believe in this theory, (it’s not a theory but truth) LMB know what a crawdad looks like, they know where to find them. Same with Gizzard shad, American shad, Blue back herring, Golden shiners, hatchery trout etc etc. 

 

RIP Catt. ✝️✝️✝️