What did you do to improve this year? Was it a specific technique? Did you do something different in boat placement or the depths you fished?
Personally I tried to work on the psychological part of fishing. Not letting the weather effect me, trying to adapt when my spots were taken and not losing my focus on the next cast being the one!
I also fished deeper than I ever had and had some success at it. Having only been Bass fishing for about 7 or 8 years I figure I have a lot to work on. Next year it will be concentrating on fishing jigs and worms again (that was how I started and somehow lost the touch)
Lets hear some of your stories.
For me it was techniques.
That and making new friends via this board.
I learned to shakey head.
Pitch to the fish below the "stuff".
Drop shot for smallies in the channels.
Fish w/ tubes in 30 fow.
It was a pretty darn good year. I made lots of new friends, and cemented with old ones.
I only hurt my back once, (during Jobie Nooner).
I fished more often, caught more fish, and have the "bug" worse than ever.
One of these days I'll have to learn to fish off of my new boat.
One of these days........
Stopped applying the definition of crazy to my fishing - "Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results"
I learned to fish the Drop Shot... with much success. I won more money this year and I can clearly point to this method as the reason for that. I landed the biggest tounament fish of my short tournament "career" using this method. 5.67 lbs... and our sack that day went 22.1 lbs.
I also improved my shakey head techniques... it proved to be my "big bass" technique more often than not.
I bought a new(er) boat in the spring! This was by far the best thing I did to improve my fishing this season!!!
OH yeah, and I pretty much throw nothing by powerpro braid on all my rods. No more line twist!!!!
I coined the phrase to myself "accurate casts catch fish!"
I greatly reduced my "short casts" which are the ones made out of fear of getting hung up. I took the time to disect the areas I was fishing and narrowed the size of my acceptable landing areas.
If I did not make it within the region and screwed it up, I did not go on with the hopes I get the next one right. I would stay there until I could make that cast correctly a couple of times.
I expanded on the lures that did well for me last year and gained a confidence that makes me think I can fish against the best in the world with them.
I practiced learning to find fish that everyone else passes by.
That one was difficult, and was only possible by first fishing with someone more experienced and who knew how to do it. Then... for me, it was just putting the trolling motor down at the launch and fishing everything! Then these little spots started popping up like a hidden object in those paintings you stare at for hours.
I continued to work on my skills at finding patterns and developing them musch faster by not second guessing what the fish were telling me.
The most important thing that has helped me is my beginning relationship with God. It's something that I have avoided my whole life, and to be honest with everybody, it's the one "big thing" that I was missing.
joshimoto son ;D
I feel the most improvement I made this year was in the decision of when and where to fish. I found fish this year in areas no one else was concentrating on, and found them in areas that were getting pounded before we got there. I learned that no fishing is better than hard fishing, and that if you are going to have success you have to beat it to death.
Last year was not too bad, but we fished really fast with fast baits, and this year we started to slow down a lot, which paid off big time. I would say we went from the lower middle of the pack to the middle of the top pack. More work this year and we will have it nailed I think. Friends and good info to start always help!!!
I really consider this my first year of tournament bass fishing. I fished a club for a few years about 6 or 7 years ago and then went to college and stopped fishing all together but knew I would get back into it one day. Girls and partying was priority at the time.
So I must say that every aspect of the sport has improved for me. This year I lived and breathed bass fishing and learned alot of new water, techniques, and most of all how to find the fish in relation to season, weather, water temp, and bait. Discovering a few forums especially GLB last winter brought me up to date and made it possible to meet and fish with many good anglers. Also my partner for the year (1javelin) made for a great team. Since everything we fished this year was new to us it forced us to put our heads together and figure it out. Although it was clear to me that being without a boat you are very limited on how much one can improve. This Spring I should have my first boat and will be able to fish 3-4 times a week, cant wait.
If anyone is looking to sell this spring, I am looking for a 20-21ft champion, triton, or stratos from $17-20,000, 2000 or newer. Any boat that gets beat up on big water I am not interested.
Tim Cook
Quote from: joshimoto son on November 13, 2007, 09:29:50 AM
The most important thing that has helped me is my beginning relationship with God. It's something that I have avoided my whole life, and to be honest with everybody, it's the one "big thing" that I was missing.
That's awesome! That is the "big thing" for sure!
For me, this year was interesting because I was on the water much, much less than previous years. Between 2 little kids, and a crazy business travel schedule, I only had time to fish 5 BFL's. I did not fish any weeknight events, or opens.
Not sure I really improved this year, other than the help that this was my 2nd season on Michigan waters - so the lessons from last year certainly helped reduce prefishing time. It should have been a much better year - I was tied for the points lead going into the last BFL of the year. I had a horrible tx and did not adjust to the muddy water that had moved into my best area.
Seth
To start with joining this forum and all the willingness of you guys to share information has helped. I have never been one of those knock em down tourney guys. Generally one to three fish per tourney. Some of the techniques I learned this year has helped to put more fish in the boat not always keeps but I have started to catch more fish. Shakey heads and power pro braid are this years magic along with more thorough boat positioning.
I don't fish as much as I used to, or, as much as I'd like, but this year I probably fished more finesse techniques than I ever had in the past. I would have to say this is the fault of my sometimes tourney partner dartag, who, in his own right, is a finesse master. I don't think I have thrown a drop shot or half a skinny worm more than I have this year. It was hard not to after watching him catch fish after fish throwing stinky Gulp! worms and senkos...
i studied Drop Shot under the master Kev aka Fishon1219. his kind words ( most can not be printed on this site ) guided me along. i spent most of the summer on my own lake with one rod and different drop shot baits. the " Stinky " Gulp baits worked the best.
i did try a little power fishing at the Chiller Thriller and when i got home and was getting ready for Cass the next day i stuck 2 treble hooks on a brand new Rattle Trap in my fingers. one i was able to push through and cut off, the other required a trip to the ER. Fished all day on cass with a numb hand.
I learned to leave the power fishing to Cheetam and keep throwing them little baits.
only about 5 months till we get to play again.
:'( :( :'(
This year I fished almost exclusively new water, and bigger water. So much more to learn than on the little mud holes I cut my teeth on. Learned A LOT about structure fishing and have tried to slow down, but still like the short line power techniques. Jigs played a lot bigger role this year, but still got burned by some seasonal stuff (still hate the post-spawn). I'm learning new ways to fish old water, caught the smallmouths pretty good friday on my favorite lake, with enough walleyes thrown in for a couple dinners. Just can't put the boat away yet, I guess I'm an addict.
Well after reading these responses... it looks like I'm not the only one who's happy they made drop shotting legal in Michigan!!
I would say most of the guys down on Toho during the nationals had a rod with a drop shot rig on it. It's not for just deep water smallies.
Quote from: Dan on November 18, 2007, 10:07:38 PM
I would say most of the guys down on Toho during the nationals had a rod with a drop shot rig on it. It's not for just deep water smallies.
Absolutely true. I've used it under docks with success. I had a backseater get a 3+ pounder in a tournament tossing his drop shot ONTO shore and then dragging it into the water. Fish hit in maybe 10" of water near some pads. I've caught fish on the dropshot in water from 1' to 30' deep. It's become one of my go to baits, especially after a cold front or during high pressure. It also excells on lakes with high fishing pressure.
I'm also finding it to be a good fall/winter cold water bait lately. The last three weekends I've fished some northern Michigan lakes... and the drop shot (along with shakey head) have out produced anything else we've thrown. If you haven't tried them yet, check out the Poor Boys Erie Darter baits on your drop shot.
i fished a crank bait with results for the first time...it put some quality bass in the boat. Found myself always going to the beaver when fishing got tough. Fished some smaller tournies and had fun meeting new people and had better results. All in all it was a good year, I even started my own bass club has a small tourney and looking foward to next year already....just placed an order with unnamed (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php?topic=11129.0)!!
easy answer. i disimproved... if that is actually a word.
This is my third year learning to bass fish.
I also worked with crankbaits for the first time this year and had lots of success with them.
I caught 3 times as many fish as last year, but arguably I fished more often too. I also caught fish with many more techniques this year than last, which to me means I am doing better at figuring out where the fish are.
I caught my first smallmouths this year.
Quote from: thedude on November 19, 2007, 08:05:41 PM
easy answer. i disimproved... if that is actually a word.
Hey, you fished pretty well at White.... but Big Pine Island... well.... you know!
Soaking up all of the knowledge that I can. To help me understand how to find fish on my own. It's much tougher than I thought to do or I'm just making more out of it than it is ... I spend a lot of time on the net reading about techniques & migration patterns? Also watch Al Linder every day. The last 2 minutes of his show helps me more than the first 28 because I never seem to remember it when I'm out fishing ... this board is also a great place to come and get away for the moment. Meet new people with the same like minds (kinda) either way I think that most days in the summer the fish are right under my boat laughing at me if so it will be awhile before they stop. But I will end the end figure things out and have the last laugh ...
Don L
I don't know where to start, this is my first year of serious bass fishing. First thing is having a new boat that is stable enough to fish anywhere I have needed it to. After that I would say time on the water and then techniques. The shaky head has been my "go to" of the year and has produced well. After that I have really learned to finesse small top water baits and that has also been exciting, but I have stayed away from frogs and heavy top waters. After that I felt I learned a bit about cranking, mainly over 8 feet, which is a lot of fun and covers a lot of water quickly to help locate specific deeper targets.
Issues: I seldom catch short fish, not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing? Should I downsize?
On my list to learn is:
1. Where to find fish to develop a pattern
2. When to use each technique when said fish are found
3. drop shot
4. lipless cranks
5. etc. etc.
Bender, you should fish some of the tournaments up here with me... we can learn a few things from each other for sure! My top water game sucks!! Now the drop shot on the other hand.... LOL!!! Also, I'm getting pretty good at reading lakes and finding fish... as long as I get a chance to prefish of course.
this year was my first year fishing tournaments and i learned that prefishing is very important when u have never been to a lake before. i have also added the dropshot to my arsenal for next year. i still need a lot of practice but i would like to get better at at early spring and fall patterns.
WELL Id have to say that one area i concentrated on was finding the spot with in a spot. I knew the areas i was fishing were good in the past but i didnt know them like i should i most definetly refined that area. I also didnt throw everything in the boat at them either i took a few baits and gained 100% confidence in them. I finally found a way to put that kicker in the boat this year too which was a great deal. i made alot of new friends especially 1javelin and tcook. we had some good times on the road this year leelanau was a blast guys we should do it again.. -skeeterman-
I would have to agree with all of you Drop Shotters, I too forced myself to spend a bit more time drop shotting in different situations this year, and I am hooked. I had much more success with it this year than I did in 2006.
I would also have to agree with Josh and Seth, that the "biggest thing" that any of us can do is begin following Jesus Christ. We get a few short years on this planet and then we enter Eternity, and we either enjoy Eternity in the presence of God, or we spend eternity with out God, the choice is ours. As for me....I choose to follow Jesus.
Nicely put Josh.
JC
Josh, that news just made my day. Eternity is important, but you will find that life is much more meaningful in the here-and-now because you realize that God has unique plans and hopes for you. I'd love to hear how it all happened for you sometime. Maybe I'll start a post about that somewhere on the board.
Regarding improving... (By the way the disimprovement line was a too funny. I feel that way from time to time too.) For me, it was all about fishing new water and not being afraid to explore vast new areas of St. Clair and the Det. River. Typically September is a horrible month for me and this year I learned some new areas that produced for nearly the entire month. So that was definitely an improvement.
For next year, I really want to figure out what to do when the water gets cold. October and November this year were really tough. Something isn't clicking.
Well Tom, that just sounds like a reason to get together and go fishing sometime.
joshimoto son ;D
I'm with ya Josh... as if we need an excuse. ;D
ebond.. Any advice for late fall/early winter smallies on St. Clair? It was like they just shut off this year.. it was weird. PM me about it if you have any advice. I don't want to derail this post. Thanks!
I really worked on versatility this year. I worked and changing things up in changing conditions and really seemed to load the boat. That day on St. Clair with Mojo and Revtro was one of the more enlightening days I had in the 07 season. Rev and Mojo went out deeper and I got in tight to the shore in about 4 to 6 fow and tore 'em up. By the time Rev and Mojo had found me, I had boated at least 50. I had caught so many my hands were sore from lipping so many. I used a combination of about 20 different baits. I did not catch those fish on everything I threw. Some were better than others and some didn't work at all that day. I had many days like that in 07.
Quote from: ebond on December 11, 2007, 01:07:11 PM
Here is a simple way to improve your catch late in the year. Target smallmouth bass on Kent Lake. I stopped chasing largies in the Fall long ago. It is not like we have massive reservoirs and schools of huge bass chasing wads of threadfin shad up creek arms here in Michigan. If you read Bassmaster or watch Hank Parker they act like Fall is almost as good as Spring. Maybe for them on those lakes. I found a way to get bites and wonder if others have too.
There were times in October out on Erie when I gave up on finicky smallmouth along the north shore. I returned up the river and found scads and scads of largemouths chasing shad. I threw a variety of baits and was able to establish fall largemouth patterns in the Detroit River. They were very consistant. It was some of the best largemouth fishing I had ever done in the fall. It wasn't reservoir fishing but it sure did seem like it. Fall fishing in Michigan can be as good as spring fishing in Michigan. I have read those same articles in Bassmaster and watched all those Hank Parker episodes. I actually pay a little more attention to In-Fisherman for bass fishing techniques as they are more geared to northern fishing. I do that for both largemouth and smallmouth. I notice that Bassmaster and Hank Parker are more geared to southern fishing although I have used their patterning techniques and well as other techniques and been successful. That kind of versatility is what helped me load the boat. I had some of the most phenomenal fishing trips this year.
Overall, I caught one heckuva lotta fish using a heckuva lotta different baits on a heckuva lotta different techniques. I had a heckuva lotta 50+ fish days. More than I have ever had in all the years I have been fishing.
BD ;D
The biggest improvement I made this year was on patience. ;)
This topic has been running for a while and I have been thinking about how I was going to answer it.
First, I improved this year by first cashing my first tournament check and having a couple of good finishes. Not as many as I would like but I'll take it.
I improved my skills this year by almost perfecting my grass mat fishing skills. I tried to spending some time with other baits, that I have less confidence in. Probably not as much time as I should but I tried. I think I got closer to finding and fishing patterns then I ever had before. All and all I think it was a good year.
Cy
Thanks everyone!! When I started this post I wasn't sure what it would bring. It has furnished many great tips, several surprises and the realization that I am not the only one learning every time I hit the water. I have printed them and will review as I work at getting everyting ready for the coming year. Thanks again and see you in the spring (as soon as there is open water). ;D
DD