My Bass Season In review ! What did you learn !

[Bigbass Dez]

Hello there Bass anglers and All , I thought it would be a good ideal to start a topic that talks about Angler Improvments made this season . I have in the past and will still do each year start a thread in March that talks about Improvments that we all strive for though out the year , but i want some feed back to Life on the water now that the season is somewhat over .

I personaly take it very serious when i post what im shooting to accomplish each year ! In 2008 i posted that i wanted to spend more time on Jigs for smallies , Well in 2008 I landed my biggest smallie on washington doing just that 5lb + . This year i posted that i was tired of me and my partner racing other boats to well know spots and wanted to spend more time on off shore structure , Well in doing so this year is giving me some of the best results and most of all my bigger fish by doing so !

I have converstion with many anglers all the time about good baits to use , what are great spots to target fish on , and the most important factor of all "TIME ON WATER" . As a bass angler since age 18 and a fisherman since age 5 , I have a solid confidence leval when im on any body water period . With that being said , I truly know for a fact that no matter how well rounded of an angler one might be in general , once you get a a body of water that you dont fish much you become a "New Student" . It was very tuff for me at times though out the year not to pick up some my "go -to " baits while fishing new water . But let me clearly state that had i not humbled myself and stayed focused on what "these fish in this lake want" I would not have a good year in total . Secondly , Back up patterns ! Man o Man The pro's have back ups to there backs and i Clearly understand why that is so important overall . When tourney morning come about i have no controll to changing conditions , fish movements , etc And being able to properly adjust will always make up top anglers in most tourneys .

I would like to hear some feed back from the rest of you Die hard Bass anglers to hear some of your experiences on the water and how it has been a benifit for you long term or just this season !!

BBD

[Anonymous]

I learned that I can acually catch bass on a senko. Now to catch another one on a dropshot. I DID catch another one on a Carolina Rig this summer.

And I do need to slow down even more. I've gotten too fast the past few years. Back to worms and jigs next summer. And I should go fishing this winter, I haven't done winter fishing in years.

[Mike Carey]

good topic question. persistance pays off. Learned that lesson on lake Stevens this year. It's generally true of all types of fishing, but bass in particular. Other than that, I need more time on the water. Now if I could just find the time...

[bcalvert]

Great Topic Dez! I have been doing a lot of thinking about the many hours spent on the lakes this year looking for bass. As an angler new to bass this year there have been many ups and downs. My major goals were to get my family interested in fishing, get off the shore and catch some bass. These were easy, now that I look back and all three were accomplished pretty early in the season. More personal goals like using certain baits and fishing different techniques were harder to achieve with a feeling of success. I am learning that too many goals can be detrimental; you can’t use every technique on every outing. The main thing I learned this year would be that confidence is huge! When I had confidence in a lure, lake or technique then I had a blast. When I doubted every cast, the fun went away real fast.
My first goal for next season is to set some realistic goals for next season…
These are the ones that have been on my mind thinking about next season
1)Get more time on the water with the kids.
2) Spend more time fishing with jigs (leave the spinner baits at home)
3) Acquire, setup and use a drop shot rig (leave the senko at home)

[mav186]

Hey Dez...I learned that no other PowerBait scent works quite like 'Crank' and 'Senko' flavors!! They're awesome....:geek:

[Bisk1tSnGraV]

Awesome topic. Nothing like looking back on the last year eagerly awaiting the spring. After going through my list of last year I see that I made a lot of the goals I had set. And as it was my first full season bass fishing it almost every time out I checked something off the list. Here were my firsts ... 1st fish on a crank, spinnerbait, spook and jig. Didn't get a frog fish nor a buzzbait so those are ones for next year but learned to dropshot. I caught a 4+ LMB but haven't caught my 2+ smallie... am up to 1lb 9 oz though. But there are a few months yet before next years list comes out. I wanted to fish in 5 new lakes. I fished in 20+ new lakes. Next year it will be catching fish in all the lakes I fish. Confidence is the thing that I came out of the year with for sure. The more I fish and catch the better I feel and think that I will catch something. I want to concentrate more on the jig next year. I did pull away from the senko onto the Kreature type baits as my goto baits. I also made a lot of friends where I learned a more from them than I could ever read so thanks BassDood, BassMasterDerek, Sparky, Dez, Trent, Kevinb and am sure I am missing a few others. Can't wait to see what new things I will learn and goals that will be accomplished in the upcoming year.

[tnj8222]

Every year I try to work on something. This year I planned on working on swimbaits. About 1000 bucks later in the matter of two weeks I put it on the backburner, and picked up the jig. I did use the senko in the weedy pond but left it there.

If there is any lure I think everybody should tie on for every lake it would be a jig. My results have been far less dinks. maybe next year I will work on swimbaits but I will forever be working on the jig. You can pitch any size jig and fish pretty much any cover and structure.

10 bucks says I can skip a jig under any dock with a 2 inch gap on the first shot and I'm confident in saying that.

[Bigbass Dez]

Great replies guyz , Its alwayz cool to hear how other other anglers are progressing there skill set one season at time . Tn , I remember back when you started investing more time time into your jig fishing and look at ya now SKIPPER !! B-n-G I remember when i purchased your first Bass rod and now 4lb LMB later both you and the kid are out doing damage , thats awsome !!

KEEP IT COMING GUYS THIS IS GOOD STUFF !! :batman:

[Bigbass Dez]

[quote="bcalvert"]Great Topic Dez! I have been doing a lot of thinking about the many hours spent on the lakes this year looking for bass. As an angler new to bass this year there have been many ups and downs. My major goals were to get my family interested in fishing, get off the shore and catch some bass. These were easy, now that I look back and all three were accomplished pretty early in the season. More personal goals like using certain baits and fishing different techniques were harder to achieve with a feeling of success. I am learning that too many goals can be detrimental]



I remember back when i first started bass'n , Man o Man ! i thought i was just as good as roland martin and bill dance after a few trips to the tackle store ..lol Its funny as heck that once you "Think" You have it figured out another chapter of the book opens and we start allll over again .. Confidence is not something that is developed over night ! Good for you BC , keep it up bro !!

[smoke14]

Definitely has been a learning experience this year. Learned how to catch fish using senko, did a little drop shot fishing still need to work on the technique more. Fished with jigs for the first time and had some success, I know more is to come with more practice. Picked up my first hard swimbait and started using it in the late fall. I look forward next year to obtaining a few more hard swimbaits and improving my jigging. Overall had a fun year just wish the season was longer already chomping at the bit for next year.

[Drewp]

I know it's not how the cool kids do it, but after my bow mount failed on me while on the water, I learned that trolling works pretty damn well for catching bass. Smallies and Largies.

[BassDood]

One thing i learned (dunno how I forgot) was to slow down...like AMX mentioned. Fishing with BiskitsNGraV aka Jay, Aaron E and HookemDanno, showed me I fish way too fast at times. It's always good to fish with others and watch their techniques and listen to their ideas. As far as the year...was awesome! Met some new friends that share the passion, fished some new water, caught a lot of fish, and got to witness "firsts" as in first crankbait, spinnerbait fish etc. Can't top things like that. Next year should be even better. More fish, more waters, and hopefully more friends.

[Trent Hale]

This year for me was awesome! Fishing out of a bass boat again after 11 years, man what a difference. This year was a HAWG qust. I did catch some nice fish all through the season. Met some friends and had good times on the water. The whole season I stayed with the jig and spook with great days on the water. Like every one some days were better than others. I did some long road trips and wish I would have stayed around the house. The time on the water was nice and can't wait for spring!!

[fishin masta]

i learned how to actually boat a bass that was over 8 inches and puts up a fight yet i only learned how to catch them off of a weightless senko. also learned a little bit about spawning beds which im looking forward to hitting next year!!!

[Bigbass Dez]

What this thread will do for all that share is a few things :

This will help some of the advance anglers get better ideal of what to share in other topics through out the season, as anglers have help questions relating to baits and bodies of water .. I have felt soo bad for a few anglers on here that just wanted some "Simple Advice" and by the end of thread they are left with even more questions ..lol

I wouldnt tell a guy not to use a senko if they have never use one before , i wouldnt tell a angler to purchase a highend rod if he has never purchased a bass rod in genaral , so on and so on !!

By the end of this thread we all will be able to gain or offer some helpful advise to benifit all anglers that enjoy bass'n around this state ! well atleast this what im hoping will be the end result only time tell .. Good job guys thus far and we all appreciate the honest replies thus far ! KEEP IT UP !!

[kevinb]

I learned things that I already knew,such as,I'm god's gift to bass fishing and that I can teach
newbies like Dez to catch a few.

Back to reality,not sure of everything I learned this past season. This year was certainly dedicated
to bass. I stepped out of my comfort zone and started using more plastics such as Senko's rigged
Texas and weightless and had productive results. One thing that stands out in my mind is that I really
started to pick apart certain areas,nothing special,just would find an area that I thought looked like a
nice hiding spot and would toss all kinds of things until something would come out. Certainly got
to fish a few new lakes,all of which were fished for bass. Checked out Devereaux,Jiggs...an unknown
lake that was LOADED with lmb. Even got down to Silver,which I hadn't been to in a few years.
Bass fishing has certainly brought our family closer,even got my nieces and nephews a couple of small bass
(first fish ever) Thats a little harder with muskies and they soon lose patience and interest in fishing.
Already have plans for next year,now I just have to wait......ugh....

Met up with a few WaLakers and hopefully I'll meet up with more next season.

[CLEARLAKE]

I learned that a 4.6# bass on an ultralight rod is a kick in the a$$! also learned that I like to fish and its a good way to kick a old bad habit!](*,)

[Nik]

I learned not to be an idiot and pretend you're still a teenager by playing basketball on the first nice day of the year when you haven't played since last summer, because it can have an enormously adverse affect on your fishing season. Needless to say I am officially retired from basketball.

[fishaholictaz]

I learned 1 bass a year is not enough and I need to live some where with bass](*,)

[islandbass]

Great subject, Dez!!!

I agree with Mike about persistence, and it was a key for me in many ways this season.

I finally convinced myself that being shorebound while having its limitations, is never an excuse to not be able to catch bass. I learned more about the fine line and balance to know when to stay in a spot and when it's time to move to the next. What a slow learning curve for me on this one.

An off shoot of this was learning to make adjustments when on the water. For example, a switch as simple as changing from nose hooked to wacky rigged on the drop shot.

I also broke through being a Jig virgin after nearly 5 seasons of bass fishing. Yeah, it's almost a shame but I did it. Now onto spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. What an even slower learning curve!

I learned much and still am learning the art of making crankbaits. This was huge for me. Two of my three cranks have already produced. Not only bass but trout too! Who would have ever guessed.

Finally, we all know it and we should do it more often, and that is sharing the joy of fishing with others. We start we family; our kids, nieces, nephews, spouses and parents, etc., but I had the blessing of teaching seniors how to fish and getting them into fish. They usually told me things like, "I have never fished in my life," or "I haven't fished since I was a little girl," or, "My dad used to take me fishing." I assure you that although unintended and unforeseen, I think I got more out of that trip than they did. I would like to write a story about it soon.

So what I learned out of this season was more about attitude and approach than anything else.

-ib