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  1. Member Finlander's Avatar
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    #21
    Quote Originally Posted by catch5 View Post
    The number one piece advice I can give you is to practice your casting. The disparity amongst the pros and am’s is huge in this area. Even at our level, the co’s that i have fished with don’t catch near the fish as me simply because they cannot put the bait where they need to put it. And quietly put in there too. It’s the one thing that you can practice in your yard, a small creek, a pond wherever.

    You can practice flipping and pitching in your garage. But really you need to master the side arm roll cast that is going to enable you to put a spinnerbait, swim jig, frog, topwater, etc in places that most cannot. The better caster you are the more fish you will catch. That’s a fact.
    This was the advise from Jimmy Huston way back in the day. I used a 6' one handed rod and side armed a spinnerbait at dixiecups until I could repeatedly hit the cups at will. I repeated this process for pitching, flipping and skipping. This was over 25 years ago and is still arguably the best advise you will get. Furthermore...it is a perishable skill set meaning, you will lose the feel if you put it down for a spell. Like riding a bike, you can still cast but to be deadly accurate takes a refresh with your tackle.

  2. Member
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    Sep 2012
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    #22
    Great advice in this thread. I say fish your strengths. Don't be intimidated to try something different, but do it till it becomes a confidence technique.
    As mentioned already. Practice casting and pitching. Jigs I try to get them in the water with the least amount of disturbance. Depending on the bait, Texas rigged plastics I may skip or pitch as sooth into the water as possible. When the bass are aggressive, I will skip it to whatever structure I am throwing too. Accuracy is also important.

    As stated above, get on the water as much as possible. My biggest struggle is I am out of the country working 6 weeks at a time. When I get back in the boat, it a learning process all over again.
    2016 BassCat Pantera II
    Mercury 200 ProXs

  3. Member
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    Jan 2010
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    #23
    Quote Originally Posted by TahoeDust View Post
    If you think you are fishing too slow, you are probably fishing too fast.

  4. Member
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    Huntington WV
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    #24
    Time on the water. Nothing can help you more than spending more time on the water.

  5. Member Fish Boy's Avatar
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    Nov 2012
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    Okauchee, Wisconsin
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    #25
    Learn the biology and chemistry of your quarry and its prey, study what makes them tick and understand why and when they do things.

  6. BBC SPONSOR Whitaker201's Avatar
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    Aug 2007
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    Miamisburg, OH
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    #26
    The fishing log will help you after you have a few years of entries. Then you can look back at the conditions each year and know when the seasonal patterns start changing at the places you fish. This will help you dial in what you are going to do on the water before you leave the house.
    Brad Whitaker
    whittyoutdoors.com --- Use code BBC5 at checkout for 5% off
    Whitty Outdoors handmade crankbaits

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  7. Member SoonerFan's Avatar
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    Apr 2007
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    Edmond, Oklahoma
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    #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Finlander View Post
    This was the advise from Jimmy Huston way back in the day. I used a 6' one handed rod and side armed a spinnerbait at dixiecups until I could repeatedly hit the cups at will. I repeated this process for pitching, flipping and skipping. This was over 25 years ago and is still arguably the best advise you will get. Furthermore...it is a perishable skill set meaning, you will lose the feel if you put it down for a spell. Like riding a bike, you can still cast but to be deadly accurate takes a refresh with your tackle.
    This is all so true. Watching MLF this past weekend and marveled at how Jacob Wheeler could put that buzzbait or spinnerbait into a spot under a branch 30 feet away with barely a ripple on the water.

    Back when I threw a spinnerbait almost exclusively, I got "pretty good". Nowhere as good as Wheeler or probably anyone who anyone who ever cashed a check but I could put it where I wanted it most of the time without too much drama. The point is; I don't fish as much these days and have expanded to other techniques that don't require the accuracy that bank beating and cover fishing demand and my accuracy has diminished. Same with skipping...once you get that groove, you have to stay with it or re-learn it every time.

    If I had one piece of advise for a new bassmaster, I would say don't try too much at first. I started out fishing spinnerbaits. They were the perfect lure for the tree stump infested lake that I choose to fish most of the time. They don't get hung up too badly, can be fished in a number of ways and are a good bait to learn on. From spinnerbaits I started learning how to pitch a T-rig worm or creature bait. That taught me what a strike felt like and how to tell the difference between a fish and a stick. With that knowledge, jig fishing becomes easier. I would advise a beginner to pick 2 or 3 techniques, say spinnerbait, T-rig worm, and square bills, that are easy enough to learn and reliable enough to catch fish to keep interest intact.



    BTW, I saw Jimmy pitch a worm into a fallen tree and pull out a nice 5 pounder with that 6' pistol grip on TV one time.
    Don't worry Ma'am....
    I'm only here for the
    Bass.

  8. Banned
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    #28
    Quote Originally Posted by TahoeDust View Post
    If you think you are fishing too slow, you are probably fishing too fast.
    I find the exact opposite to be true. I’ve spoken with many pros and almost all will tell you that amateurs just flat out don’t cover enough water. Most of time the guys flat out fly. Even when they’re are flipping, you’d be surprised how fast they are going. You have to cover a lot of water. Most of us amateurs fail so poorly in this area.

  9. Member
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    Louisiana
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    #29
    My kid broke one of his rods between the 1st and 2nd eyelet from the reel. I kept the butt end for spooling up new reels, and one night attached a 1/2oz pitching weight to the line just because it was laying there.

    Next thing I knew I was walking around the house for days pitching that weight into every nook and cranny and trying to get it under the couches and chairs without wrecking the line. I was surprised how much better my mechanics got with my thumb/spool control. It doesn't take me long on the boat to dial into the change to a normal length rod for accuracy, but the muscle memory for controlling the line has been much better.

  10. Banned
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    #30
    Quote Originally Posted by catch5 View Post
    I find the exact opposite to be true. I’ve spoken with many pros and almost all will tell you that amateurs just flat out don’t cover enough water. Most of time the guys flat out fly. Even when they’re are flipping, you’d be surprised how fast they are going. You have to cover a lot of water. Most of us amateurs fail so poorly in this area.
    This and casting have been my points of emphasis this year. I got into the habit of saturating areas (and catching) from my time kayak fishing. Do the same with the boat...but trying to get away from that. its nuts how fast these guys move. they dont seem to saturate things like docks....just find what the 1 or 2 spots they think will be the highest percent targets and move on. They know something, so im definitely fishing faster this year.

  11. Member
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    Rockford, IL
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    #31
    As some others have posted, casting. Good anglers are putting their lures in places where most will not cast to.
    Mike
    Ranger Z520
    Mercury 250 Pro XS

  12. Member VH5150's Avatar
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    Aug 2014
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    Hudson Valley, NY
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    #32
    Quote Originally Posted by printman71 View Post
    Ignore dock talk and fish your strength(s).
    Great Tip!!!

  13. Better Lucky Than Good! Casslaw's Avatar
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    Jun 2018
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    Tampa, FL
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    #33
    I didn’t have much guidance when I was young and made a LOT of mistakes. I, however, am very lucky to have grown up in central Florida where the bass fishing is simply unreal!

    What I am learning in my 40s is that you have to fish where the fish are. Sounds stupid I know but so many people spend time in unproductive water. Bow hunting helped me in this respect a lot. Coming back to bass fishing after 20 years of bow hunting I can find the proper structure and depth for the season and while I may not necessarily find the fish I can eliminate a large %age of water!

    The other thing I am learning is to not be afraid of learning new techniques. I don’t have any more lures than I used to, but I know when and how to use them much better.

    For instance; I took 2 weeks learning to really use a jerkbait. While it wasn’t the right time of year for it to be the most productive lure I used only a jerkbait for 2 weeks, asked a lot of questions on here, and watched a lot of videos. After that time was up I moved to the next thing.

    But, after spending a couple weeks with only a jerkbait, I have one more useful tool, and I now know how and when to use it. Confidence is key! Good luck.
    2006 Triton SP-185, 2006 Evinrude Etec 90, PowerTech NRS3, Garmin Echomap Plus 73CV & 93SV

  14. Moderator JerryT's Avatar
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    #34
    Stop living for the Senko bite

  15. Member
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    Apr 2018
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    Conemaugh Township, Pa
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    #35
    Take time to learn how to use a bait casting reel.

  16. Member
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    Jan 2011
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    Wethersfield, Ct
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    #36
    With all due respect I am like rainman when I fish. I can recall every bass I have caught. I can recall the presentation, bait, weather conditions etc.. not to perfection but to a very high degree. The reason is my focus. I am a different animal when hunting bass. Not just random casting but hunting. The hunting aspect is hardly ever brought up. Watch a cat stalk a bird. It focuses. It doesn't randomly wander through a yard hoping to get something to eat. I learned this on my own naturally and had it confirmed when paired with an older guy in my club who was as much a hunter as he was a fisherman. It was his hunting skills that made him a very good bass fisherman. Talk to any accomplished hunter and they are most likely also a good at fishing

  17. Member
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    Hendersonville TN
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    #37
    Quote Originally Posted by JerryT View Post
    Stop living for the Senko bite
    The Zen Master speaks wisdom!

  18. Banned
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    #38
    Quote Originally Posted by mattmann7 View Post
    With all due respect I am like rainman when I fish. I can recall every bass I have caught. I can recall the presentation, bait, weather conditions etc.. not to perfection but to a very high degree. The reason is my focus. I am a different animal when hunting bass. Not just random casting but hunting. The hunting aspect is hardly ever brought up. Watch a cat stalk a bird. It focuses. It doesn't randomly wander through a yard hoping to get something to eat. I learned this on my own naturally and had it confirmed when paired with an older guy in my club who was as much a hunter as he was a fisherman. It was his hunting skills that made him a very good bass fisherman. Talk to any accomplished hunter and they are most likely also a good at fishing
    Are you kidding??

  19. Member
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    Aug 2013
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    Wellsboro,PA
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    #39
    One thing I actually really good at is the side arm rollcast...then I hit my trolling motor and poof done lol

    Now if I could just improve my graph reading skills and get my crankbait and deep water games together
    2020 Skeeter ZX150

  20. Member Meadows's Avatar
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    Nov 2011
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    Stuarts Draft, VA
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    5,323
    #40
    Don’t get carried away with colors, fish your strengths, steer clear of dock talk, practice casting, don’t always go fishing on the prettiest days. In no particular order.
    2022 Skeeter ZXR20
    Yamaha 250 SHO

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