1) Learn how to read the water....alot of times i can tell when a spot will produce just by looking at the water...( i fish the misssissippi and the water changes alot, levels, clarity, current.) Obviosly you wont beable to do this very well unless you are familliar with the water to begin with.

2)water clarity is very important...fish dont like dirty water like you dont like a smokey shop...cleaner water is almost always better...(im not out west so im not talking about stuff you can see 20 ft down in) im talking like water that has a 4 foot visibility is better than water with 2 foot visibility, water with 2 foot visibility is better than water that looks like chocolate milk.

2)Fish slow...use soft plastics, especially when you know your fish are there.
dont waste time when passing over low percentage waters, go ahead and fish with something fast like a spinnerbait.

3)Be precise, (very important) with your casts. 1 foot off is the difference between getting a fish to bite and not, or just plain spooking a fish. It doesnt matter what your bait is Be precise with it...

4)when fishing calm shallows learn to land your bait softly, And stay quiet in your boat.

5)Use scent.

i can fish 5 minutes behind a average guy whos using a spinner bait and catch all kinds of fish while he doesnt even get bit. All becuase i am precise. Granted that same guy that always fishes a spinner bait, will have days that he just hammers the fish becuase they are attacking very agressively.....

the reason i like fishing soft plastic is because i can keep my bait in high percentage water for a longer time over the course of one cast. very rarely a bass chases a bait out of the high percentage areas and when they do chase its almost always a little fish... Also the precision of the presentation thats involved with soft plastics will make you a better fisherman with your other baits. they are the hardest to master.

6)*Your terminal tackle is very important use good sharp hooks...and make sure your line and knots are all good. Make sure your using the correct reel and rod (if you dont use baitcasters Start now)...you dont need to use expensive braid or florocarbon lines. i still almost exclusively use monofilament...i prefer the stretch...i swear alot of guys rip the lips right out of fish with these braids, high speed reel,s and xtra fast action rods, as hard as they set the hook.
if your using mono just check your line more often and rety after every fish. my favorite is 14 to 20 lbs stren in high vis gold so i can see my line.

7) Fish harder

Chuck you are spoiled rotten...your water looks like shooting fish in a barrel!

The only times ive felt overwhelmed was on big deep reservoirs dealing with rough water, windy as hell, unfamilliar, (being a river fisherman where most everything is caught in 15 ft or less with 95% of fishing done in 7 ft of water or less) . I know the oposite is true for guys that never fish rivers... they dont know what to do either. ...so if your on uncharted territory dont get discouraged and dont be afraid to make another trip back if things didnt go well the first time.

8) Stay Positive.