Dairy King

That I catch 2 maybe 3 bass all summer? I've been out a few times tried everything in my box...nothing. same thing last year.

PKnTX

Confidence is key. You need to be telling folks
"I'm gonna catch some bass this year" and then
get out there and keep your line wet.

Tight lines to you,
PK

North Texan

2 or 3? Heck, if you fish very much, odds are you'll snag a couple if for no other reason than they weren't paying attention and didn't see the lure coming.

m.t.hands

check my signature, if you think your beat before you start, guess what, you'll be beat

that said, if what your doing is not working its time to try something else, save up a little money and hire a guide, it would be money well spent, or if that is out of the question start reading as much as you can, lots of good articles and publications on improving your catch ratio, if your ever in my neck of the woods and want to catch a few hollar at me

good luck and never give up or in

indianahunter83

If where you live in illinois is anything like where i live in indiana then fishing has not heated up yet but should real soon. The weather patterns just weren't stable enough for catching bass. I would expect you to start catching bass real soon!

buckhunter14

I live in Michigan, so near Illinois. Though bass season starts for me sooner than when the "Catch Season" starts, that is not until May 31.

That means 2 full months until season even begins.

The bite shall come.

Roadkillwarrior

Sounds like to me you need to find a new fishing hole-lol. What lures/bait do you use for bass and how? Ive caught two bass on the same lure on multiple occasions on some of the ponds I fish. I hope you figure out how to catch them old bucket mouths or atleast find a new fishing hole. Good Luck!!

Dairy King

I think it's mostly because I can only fish from the bank. I absolutely love fishing. I went everyday last year, I even skipped my senior video thing before graduation to go fishing. Caught my first fish off a frog that evening. Another thing, I think I need to use worms more; I have a whole tackle box full of everything from frogs, crawfish, worms, Senkos, tubes, everything but I don't use them. I'm also gonna go back to my uncle little pond, I caught the crap out of them the year before last, but never went back last year for some reason.

Whats a good bass magazine?

mobow

Green Pumpkin Centipede. That's all I'm sayin.

SwampCollie

That is why you aren't catching fish YET.... when the water is colder, the fish are going to stick to deeper water. As the water temp approaches 60 the fish will start moving up out of deeper water. (I'm in VA and its still only hitting 60 in places and in shallow ponds/pockets) They feed in cycles, just like deer do. They will move in and out of the shallows, chasing or targeting baitfish and crawfish... beefing up for the spawn. Most of the guy's around my area who are catching fish on a regular basis right now are using crankbaits, and fishing off of rocky points in anywhere from 15-30' of water.

I went fishing yesterday with another HNI member (Vabowman) and while the fishing was relatively slow and I'd never met him face to face before yesterday morning, I can tell just from picking his brain a bit and watching him fish that he really knows his stuff. I'm glad to say he became a good friend in the course of the day, and I look forward to fishing and hunting with him in the future. I don't think BUT is quite the right word to use here, however, I also extrapolated a few things not just about fishing, but fishermen and hunters based on yesterdays trip (and none of this is bad by the way but I think rather its a great teaching tool).

Landon (Vabowman) is a "power fisherman". He likes to flip and pitch and find the active fish. He fishes just like pro-active cop looks for criminals... quick in and quick out... he'll pull up, flip, pitch, move, flip, pitch and then rocket to another spot on the lake. For tournament fishermen (and he is) you need to find active fish (generally). If you can't find fish that bite, you won't catch fish. Landon has a tactic that he is obviously extremely good at (power fishing) and he looks for fish that are willing to play his game. Much the same as a "run and gun" style turkey hunter, who will probe the woods and fields for a bird thats hot and is going to gobble.

I, on a contrasting note, had never "power fished" before in my life. I could probably stand 50 feet opposite Landon and hold open the front pocket of my shirt and he could flip a jig or a Brush Hog into my pocket... If the wind held still, I could usually hit the water without causing noticable bodily injury to anyone on board the boat, and sometimes even without nesting my baitcast reel. It was a new experience for me, and incredibly informative.

I am used to fishing farm ponds, where I don't have several thousand acres and a couple hundred Mercury horses to get around on. If I want to catch fish, I have to find a way to catch the fish in front of me. I'm what I suppose you would call a "finesse fisherman". My approach is more like a cop on a stake out or a sting operation... I know this is a bad guy... I'm just waiting for him to slip up. If I fished my pond the way Landon and I fished yesterday, I'd be through fishing in 45 minutes if I took my sweet time. Fishing out of a Ghee-noe with a 30ft/# Motor guide as compared to a Triton with a 225 Merc does have something to do with it though. A finesse fisherman is more like a duck hunter (and that would be me) who sets up in a spot he knows the ducks are, and waits them out. He has lots of tools (jigs, worms, and spinnerbaits just like decoys, calls and jerk cords) and if he is patient and figures out what the ducks want to see... or in this case what the fish will bite... then he can be successful. The pond I fish is full of big bass, and I know that. I've had trouble figuring them out so far this year myself. But I have a lot of confidence in that place, and in my ability to catch fish there. Those two things combined will put me in the fish, as long as I don't give up and stay positive about it.

Now there is little doubt in my mind that Landon would be able to catch fish in any condition. We were fishing for its own sake yesterday, no money on the line or anything, and I'm sure in a tournament situation Landon will figure out the fish and adapt however he needs to.

The point here is that if you want to catch fish, you have to adapt. Worms are good just about any time of the year, but in my experience especially in the late spring, summer and early fall. It also depends on what the main forage food for bass is where you are fishing.

As to a good bass magazine, personally I rely on the free information on the internet. Try out www.bassresource.com There is a TON of articles and information on there, and its free.