I am addicted to bass fishing. I know it and those of you on here that I talk to know it too. lol

I am always trying to learn and do more and more things. So here is my question. I am beginning to think that I am trying to do too many things at one time and in turn it is hurting my fishing. I will give you a break down and maybe someone can help me put it into a sound plan for improvement as an angler.

I have learned to t-rig senkos and catch them. My biggest being a two pounder. We have a tough little lake where the bigger ones seem to be out where I can't get to them. I fish from the bank. No boat. I have confidence in them.

I have learned to t-rig super flukes and flukes and have also caught fish with them as well. I have confidence with them as well.

I have learned to t-rig lizards and have caught fish on them as well. I have confidence in them as well although I don't use them near as much as I do the others.

3 inch tiki sticks have been good to me as well on my lake here.

I have caught a few fish on t-rigged 4 inch whirl tail worms but none with any bigger worm on.

I have also taken on trying to learn a baitcaster and doing well with casting it even surprising myself but have only caught three fish with super flukes and a couple with a fat boy crankbait.

I switch back and forth from one spinning rod with my senkos on it, to a long spinning rod with t-rigged flukes or t-rigged worms on it to my baitcaster.

I think I am trying to do too many things at one time and not concentrating enough on one thing and mastering it.

Can someone give me a plan of attack so that I can master these elements. I know my fish numbers will go down but I want to become a better all around angler.

Thanks my friends.

I just think you are making to much of it.

From what I see you have learned to fish a T-Rig and a Senko. That's a great start. The fact that you are trying to get better on a baitcaster is great to. Keep messing around and trying a couple of things at a time. You are doing fine.

You have learned how to use softbaits. Now go for the topwaters, cranks, spinnerbaits etc. This is the best time of year to catch fish on top!  

The next time you go, leave everything alone EXCEPT a lure that you haven't learned. (If you find it too hard to leave other lures alone, leave everything else at home  )  Fish nothing but that lure all day.  Experiment with retrieves/depths (i.e. spinnerbaits/jigs).  It's hard to do, especially if you're not catching fish right away, but you WILL learn new lures that way.

The next time you go, leave everything alone EXCEPT a lure that you haven't learned. (If you find it too hard to leave other lures alone, leave everything else at home ) Fish nothing but that lure all day. Experiment with retrieves/depths (i.e. spinnerbaits/jigs). It's hard to do, especially if you're not catching fish right away, but you WILL learn new lures that way.

Agreed.

If you really want to learn to fish a lure or lure class, you have to concentrate on fishing that particular bait.

Here in the Tallahassee area the topwater bite hasn't started yet.So I would try to learn to fish the most versitile bait I can find.To me that would be a plastic toad.Wal Mart has the Stanley ribbit which is the one I use.They have a three pack with one of them prerigged with the special hook they use for around 4 bucks(get the regular one not the high floater).

This bait can be used many many ways.The three I use most are:

1)Reel fast and buzz it across the surface

2)Slow your retrive and swim it about a foot below the surface

3)Cast it out let it sink to the bottom,reel as slowly as you can without stopping the reel,crawling it along the bottom

The toad is very weedless so don't be afraid to cast it where you might otherwise be afraid of losing your lure,thats where the bass hang out.Lastly frogs and toads are known for catching big bass.                  

Good luck!

Keep doing what you're doing!!! This isn't a job! Fishing is supposed to be fun, learn and experiment with as many different lures/reels/techniques you want! If you want to learn baitcasting a little faster tho, just bring the baitcaster out on the next trip, leave the spinning stuff at home.....I promise after you master baitcasting, you'll never touch the spinning gear again!!(except for skipping under tree branches... d**n that backlash!)  ;D

Good luck, have FUN and share your knowledge of fishing w/ others.  

At the end of the day, all that really matters is the time you put in learning. You can maximize your effort by practicing some things at home instead of on the water. I'm also learning the baitcaster this year. You should be practicing that at home in the backyard whenever you have some free time. I been doing that and it has greatly improved my confidence and allows you to focus only on the casting. It allowed me to focus on improving certian aspects of my casting. I noticed, while comfortable with basic casts, I'm not "loading the rod" when using a baitcaster. While this is less of a problem when chucking a 3/4 oz C-rig, with lighter lure its much more important. I'll be practicing in the backyard tonight, while breaking in another BPS extreme combo.

I promise after you master baitcasting, you'll never touch the spinning gear again!

Rods & reels are just tools. When selecting the "right tool" we aren't saying another wouldn't get the job done, but selecting certain equipment might be more efficient, making the job easier. I fish both spinning tackle and baitcasting gear, I like both and only prefer one over the other for certain techniques. In many situations, spinnning tackle is the best choice.

The next time you go, leave everything alone EXCEPT a lure that you haven't learned. (If you find it too hard to leave other lures alone, leave everything else at home ) Fish nothing but that lure all day. Experiment with retrieves/depths (i.e. spinnerbaits/jigs). It's hard to do, especially if you're not catching fish right away, but you WILL learn new lures that way.

this is the best way , it is forced learning basicly fly or die swim or sink catch a fish or dont

Thanks for all the replies. Our little lake here in town is a really tough bite right now. We went out from 6 to 8 tonight without any luck but I can say I got some good practice casting my baitcaster in. I am getting to where I can cast it really smooth and pretty far with the underarm cast and I am really getting better at casting overhand. I have to concentrate allot on the overhand casts but that is not such a bad thing. I am always learning something when I am out and tonight was no different. Thanks again and when I catch my first big one this year(and I will) I will be sure to post it.

Mendota, Make sure you take more tahn one of a specific bait if that is you approach. I did this years ago and stuck my lure in a tree and ended my trip quickly.

Like most that have replied said you may be trying to hard. Just relax and enjoy yourself. After all Bass fishing is suppose to be fun.

As you get more time on the water you'll see things that work well for others but not for you, but you'll just have to try them to find out for yourself. You'll try things that you think no one has ever tried before and it works great for you. Then you'll find out others have been doing those same things for years.

Fishing is a sport with only a couple hard fast rules. ie. Fish are in the water, not in the trees behind you half way up the bank. Just about everything else is made up on the spot. Well maybe not made up on the spot but learned on the spot none the less.

To give you an example, years ago I was hooking a straight worm, now called a "trick worm" just about a third of the way down the body and burying a finishing nail in the head of the worm. The bigger the nail the faster the sink rate.

I fished this way for years, no one that I knew rigged their worms like this but me. Then at a BASS wight in Ricky Clunn said he caught all his fish "Wacky Worming" After the wight in I ask him what he meant by wacky worming and he showed me the same thing I had been doing for years. I just didn't know what it was call. He said he learned it from someone in Texas.

Anyway just try different things and what works for you keep doing them and what doesn't, well you could tell your fishing partner!