ready to throw in the towel

[Maniak]

im about ready to just give up and go back to live bait. ive been fishing the local lakes and have had horrible luck. the past 4 times i havnt caught a thing.. ive had more luck at the small golf course ponds.. i have used every type of lure and presentation. maybe i am just not fishing at the right lakes? i dont have a boat and i am stuck on the shore, i think thats one of the issues.

i know i am a beginner and i have a lot to learn but its extremely frustrating to spend all the money on artificial baits and not be able to catch anything with them. i need to fish with a pro or something so i can learn the right techniques. i tried drop shotting for the first time today but im not sure if im doing it right.

sorry, just needed to rant, im sure i am not the only one who goes though this

[carolina-rig-01]

Sorry you are having a tough go at it. Hang in there it will get better as you begin to catch a few fish and start figuring out things. It might be money well spent to hire a guide on a local lake so that you can learn a few techniques and catch a few fish to get your confidence up.

[Tavery5]

Listen dude, it happens, you have probably heard this before, but it is worth saying anyway, it's called fishing, not catching, when you put pressure on yourself to catch fish it can become allot more like work than fun. Try to enjoy your time outside, think about how nice it is not to be at work/school and doing something that allows you to take your mind off the troubles of the world.

I know it is easier said than done, but the fact is not very many people will ever pay the bills fishing, so for the rest of us, we need to try and enjoy our time on the water. I think you will be surprised once you relax and have some fun the fish will follow.

Good Luck

[bamabassman]

like taves said pal. don't give up, heck........look at me. i am well known as the DINK master. and i ain't giving up. love the "fishing" part more than the catching part. (go ahead and make your jokes folks, lol.) but if oyu give up, oyu won't learn nothing.

[Maniak]

Originally Posted by Tavery5

Listen dude, it happens, you have probably heard this before, but it is worth saying anyway, it's called fishing, not catching, when you put pressure on yourself to catch fish it can become allot more like work than fun. Try to enjoy your time outside, think about how nice it is not to be at work/school and doing something that allows you to take your mind off the troubles of the world.

I know it is easier said than done, but the fact is not very many people will ever pay the bills fishing, so for the rest of us, we need to try and enjoy our time on the water. I think you will be surprised once you relax and have some fun the fish will follow.

Good Luck

for sure, thats how i look at it when things dont go as planned. ended up at lake michigan after i struck out at the smaller lakes. it was a beautiful evening with the sun setting and just looking out at the lake. really cool seeing the trout and salmon jumping close to shore. gonna try and snag some of those in the next couple weeks. guess this is the time they come in shallow and you can catch them from the shore, never did fishing like that so it should be fun.

[keithdog]

Hang in there buddy. It could be just the lakes you fishing. For example, I've done very well this year fishing from my boat. But I havn't caught anything off shore since spring at the same lakes which is odd because in past years I was able to snag a few from shore fairly regularly. It might not be you, but rather the fish and where they are located.

[Maniak]

Originally Posted by keithdog

Hang in there buddy. It could be just the lakes you fishing. For example, I've done very well this year fishing from my boat. But I havn't caught anything off shore since spring at the same lakes which is odd because in past years I was able to snag a few from shore fairly regularly. It might not be you, but rather the fish and where they are located.

thats what im thinkin.... ive been talkin with the people around the area and their luck hasnt been too great either. like at lake michigan today, there were 5 of us fishing the shore, not one of us got a bite

[lilmule]

I stood out on a pier near lake shore drive back in 70-72,bought every spoon with blue an chrome in it I could find,was after coho,never caught much.
Even bought a surplus 4 man rubber raft,freighters ended that lol .
Finally a trip to lost river and got a bass,but didnt give up.
You dont need a pro just a buddy once hes caught fish and you find out what on buy one or two eventually one builds up a confidence outfit that still fails every now an then.
Lastly bet you will have more luck in a smaller body of water something like the fox river.
Out at batavia is a nice set of falls,good walleye below it.

[Jrob78]

I agree with what some of the others have said. It's much harder to consistently catch fish from the shore of a huge lake because you are limited to how far you can cast. If the fish aren't up shallow, you simply aren't going to catch them. I would spend my time fishing smaller bodies of water, creeks, ponds and even rivers. You'll be able to cover a larger percentage of water and put yourself where the fish are.

[kennethdaysale]

Hey Maniak If fishing without a boat is your only option, here's a small tip: try to always position yourself with the wind IN your face. Might not make a lot of sense to you now and casting could be tougher but it bumps your odds up. If a cross wind is the best you can do, try to walk out on a point or some kind of "neck down" area. Plus just because you don't have a boat doesn't mean you have to fish from "shore". A good pair of chest waders can get you well off shore and for $50-60 you can get a nice Belly Boat and a pair of decent fins for another $30 and your SET FREE from the shore. I can't tell you how many fish I've caught out of those things over the years...........great fun and cheap!
PS You will own many boats in the years to come, make it a goal, 30 years ago I traded an old Elsnore 250 for my first rusty tin boat(best trade ever)

[islandbass]

My brother went 1.5 seasons without catching his first bass on his own. So until you reach that point, as frustrating as it can be, you really don't have anything to complain about.

In addition, if it helps, the season is nearly over for me and it looks like I will probably not even catch one Largemouth bass this season. I'm 0 for 5 for LMB this season and like you, not one freakin' bite. However, I don't let that statistic bother me.

One thing that could be a possibility is this. You can have or make the absolute best presentations that a fish could want, but you cannot catch fish if the fish are not where you are. Sometimes, as a shore bound angler it is a harsh pill for me to swallow.

I have caught smallies. I think the great run of salmon has a little to do with that. So hang in there. Consider those times as paying your dues. I can almost guarantee than you will have forgotten all of this frustration when you land that first bass. Good luck, hang in there and hang tough.

[hdmoorefootball]

Buddy, my advice to you at this stage of your bass fishing career is pick a type of fishing like jig fish or crankbaits or what ever it may be and stick with it. Get really really good at fishing with it and determine where the fish like it and how they like it presented to them.

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by hdmoorefootball

Buddy, my advice to you at this stage of your bass fishing career is pick a type of fishing like jig fish or crankbaits or what ever it may be and stick with it. Get really really good at fishing with it and determine where the fish like it and how they like it presented to them.

No offense, I hear this statement made quite often, and I have come to disagree with the logic of it. Plastic baits and lures are tools, and to be effective in fishing you need to use the correct tool for the job. Even a poorly fished topwater bait is going to catch more fish than a jig when the topwater bite is on, and visa versa. To take the analogy a little further, most would not tell someone learning to be a mechanic to master the ratchet before using the box end wrench. Just my opinion.

To me it is much more important to understand where the fish are located and what type of bait is correct for that particular situation. Put a bait in front of a fish and most of time he is not going to analyze if the presentation is correct. Now don't take this statement the wrong way, I completely understand the importance of presentation, just sayin......

[joedog]

Ok, here's my input. Everything said is true under different situations and very good advice. I too am currently shorefishing and am very aware of the challenges. Waders are some of most important and affordable investment you can make. Once you have wader fished you will really wish you took it up earlier! One of my earliest fishing strategies was simple...cover more water! And waders allow you to do so. Floats are a challenge because of inflation and wind, but still a good way to cover water if the weather is right.

Perfect presentation is important and practice leads to perfection but as Tavery said if the fish dosn't look at it (analyze), presentation looses some effect. Basically everytime you cast, you are practicing no matter how long you have fished! Presentation can and will be perfected after you figure out a lure or bait that has some success.

There are lures that you should try each and every time you go out (at least until you find the hot bait or lure) and they are: plastic worms- can cover deep and shallow and rigged weightless or wacky you can cover the whole water column and can fish thru almost any cover from clear to weedy
lippless crank- works well over weeds, can let sink to depth you wish to achieve, can be yo-yoed or fast retrieved (reaction bite) or a simple stop and go or straight retrieve. Personally I would start with like a quarter oz or 3/8oz., seems to be a little easier to control for newbies.
Finally a 1/4 oz. to 3/8 oz. jig with a trailer- covers deep, covers sand and rock, somewhat weedless so can fish thru and in limited grass and weed. Get it in a finesse jig and you can easily swimjig it too.
If you see top water action happening alot where you fish add a fourth lure like a small hollow frog or poppers if your waters don't have alot of surface clutter.
Now color and presentation will some day be very important to you but right now all you want to do is catch fish (your already fishing).
Now for the corny tip, turn you outings into a game. You get a point for every fish landed. 1/2 point for a bite or strike and a 1/2 point for every lure switch. Fish gets a point for not biteing (skunked) and 1/2 point for getting off. As with most people the game reduces the the stress or dissatisfaction of not catching and competition (you vs fish) usually motivates us to improve plus winning is FUN.
Now, you fished all day no catches. You tried 3 lures had one strike. Score Manik 31/2.... fish 1. You won! What a great day fishing!

[Maniak]

^^ thanks for the tips!!

i always play a game with my buddy when we go together. if i catch the first fish, other guy buys him a beer! i should just keep that goin throughout the day!

i think the big issue is that i am expecting to much out of the places i am fishing. for now i am stuck to ponds and i really dont think the bass have a chance to grow very big up here in northern IL. a couple of hard freezes during the winter can do a lot to these little ponds.

[joedog]

Hey Maniak I'm in Janesville, Wi. and do alot of pond fishing and any pond with water deeper than 10 ft usally won't suffer winter kill due to freeze. Caught a 9 pounder out of a pond this summer and keeping your game going all day sounds like a great idea cause you won't remember anyway!