Favourite/Least Favourite Technique

[WallStreetAmigo]

I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the members on this board. I know that the techniques we choose to fish depend on many variables like time of year, weather patterns, water body and structure composition, etc, but I am interested in finding out what everyone's favourite and least favourite bass fishing technique is.

If all else was equal and you were to name the one bass fishing technique that you really love to use, what would it be?

On the flip side, if there was one bass fishing technique that you would prefer to avoid having to fish (or choose to never fish even if the conditions dictate that you should), what would it be?

For the veterans on this board, this will be a good way to blow your own horn a little bit, and for the newbies like me it will be interesting to look at this thread next year and see if the techniques have changed. It will also be interesting to see if the technique that we consider ourselves to be the best at is the one that is our favourite.

In my case, I absolutely love fishing frogs in the nastiest cover I can find. The blowups are awesome and it really takes some skill to get the big ones out in the open before they tangle you up. Having said that, my absolute best technique is wacky rigged senkos. For a newbie like me they are essentially foolproof, but the more I learn when, where, and how to effectively use it, the more success I have.

As far as my least favourite, it would have to be buzzbaits. I have not had much luck with them and they are tiring with slower speed reels. In most situations, I avoid them like the plague.

I hope as many as possible answer this thread, as it will be interesting to find out more about who we are talking to.

[pig n jig]

Jig fishing is what I love to do, but there are so many people trying to jig fish here, I switched to something different. Learning to stay with the dropshot has been a challenge for me.It has been a odd year for me. A 5" smoke colored Kalin grub produced my best fish, a 5.4 lb smallie. The grub was shook on slack line while drop shottin in 20 foot of water, the base of a sloped rocky area.

Wallstreet, Multiple casts to the same area with a buzzbait. Many times, I have casted over a dozen times in the same area before the fish would strike a buzzbait. P N J

[brushhog]

I would say that T-rigged soft plastics are my favorite, probably because I'm always fishing with my kids and it's easy!

I've learned to be more patient as I've learned to dropshot, but it is far from my favorite...

and shockingly PNJ , I never jig fish, but if everybody is doing it, I better get on board!

[Hef]

I would say my favorite is a toss up between frog fishing in the slop and punching mats. My least favorite would have to be deep water fishing whether its dropshotting or deep jig fishing.

[InEccess]

My favorite would have to be spinnerbait fishing. No finesse, no soaking, just straight action. With my tournament alarm going off about the same time I'd be going to bed during the work week, I can't stand to fish slow first thing in the morning. I've caught fish in 30 degree water with a spinnerbait. I've caught fish in 80 degree water with them. Hell, I've even caught a limit on lake Erie with them.

My least favorite technique would probably be dead sticking a senko. Don't get me wrong, I love the fish it catches, but I can't stand to just count down anything.

[Raul]

I like crankbaits & spinnerbaits and hate soft plastics and jigs.

[MississippiBoy]

Topwater what I do the most, usually popr's or frogs, followed closely by spinnderbaits. It's always a blast to let the fish blow up on the frog, lower the rod tip just a little until you feel the weight, then try your best to yank him all the way into the boat on the hookset.
Least favorite is jig fishing. Don't think I've ever caught one on a jig, probably 'cause I don't do it nearly enough. I don't know what it is, but there's something I can't stand about dragging that thing so slow. I can do it with soft plastics fine, but something in me rebels against the jig.

[islandbass]

I would have to say drop shotting for certain now, and I was very comfortable with poppers and crank and jerk baits.

I want to love the jig but the darn thing has been an enigma for me to master.

I also love inline spinners and kick fanny with them, but I CANNOT buy a bite on a spinnerbait or buzzbait.

Like Least: Jigs, Spinner and Buzz baits. I'm a virgin with all three.

[BigBassin144]

I'd have to say my favorite (and best producing this year) technique would be crankin'. Granted I know very little about most techniuqes, crankin' is easy and catches fish!

My least favorite would have to be... probably froggin' I really don't have the right equipment for it or the right waters. I'll keep trying it though.

BB

[jetdrive1]

My favorite type of bassen is spinner baiting..But usually only short arm zorros. You can drop them like a jig, buzz them on the surface or just slow roll the over structure.

[keithdog]

My favorite technique would be a toss up between fishing a spinnerbait or a crankbait. I really enjoy using them both and score well with both. My least favorite would have to be slowly working a t rigged plastic or the drop shot. They both work, but they both bore the hell out of me.

[Wags]

No doubt my fav is walking the dog with the Zara Spook. Nothing like a good top-water blow-up, seems like the larger fish are attracted to those for some reason. The problem is that I use this technique eveywhere, even when I KNOW it won't work. Don't tell my wife, but I even hung a few on the Christmas tree just to hold my sanity through the winter. My least fav would have to be slow fishing anything (Jigs-creatures-ect.) I drink WAY too much coffee to be keeping my hands still for more than 1-2 seconds. Maybe some day I will learn some patience on the water, sure it would help my bottom line.

[dodgeguy]

i hate drop shotting.i love spinnerbaiting more than any other technique.i only love jigs in the spawn.

[lunker-lander]

Best: Spinnerbait/Crankin'/Texas-Rig

Worst: Drop Shot

Need To Improve/Try: Drop-Shot/Carolina-Rig/PNJ's/Topwater

-LL-

[zooker]

normally found chunkin the blade or the crank

rarely caught using the *yawn* slow rig..

zooker

[WallStreetAmigo]

A lot of interesting info about everyone's individual fishing style. The common theme seems to be people love fast retrieves and hate slow retrieves, or vice-versa.

Hey PNJ, what's your least favourite technique? Oh, and thanks for the tip on buzzbaits. One of my new years fishing resolutions is to give the buzzbait a fair try next year as I always gave up on it if it didn't produce fast results. I think the addition of a much faster reel will help me to do this.

[bassinbob]

I would have to say topwater and jigging. Jig fishing is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Least favorite is deadsticking. Although I have deadsticked while casting with another rod. When using the trolling motor I occasionally pick up the deadsticked rod.
Also when I am anchored casting the pads I'll deadstick with another rod.

[islandbass]

Originally Posted by WallStreetAmigo

A lot of interesting info about everyone's individual fishing style. The common theme seems to be people love fast retrieves and hate slow retrieves, or vice-versa.

Hey PNJ, what's your least favourite technique? Oh, and thanks for the tip on buzzbaits. One of my new years fishing resolutions is to give the buzzbait a fair try next year as I always gave up on it if it didn't produce fast results. I think the addition of a much faster reel will help me to do this.

That's a good observation. I actually prefer to fish faster than slower but drop shotting is the only technique I can actually tolerate fishing slowly. I guess I'm a bit weird in that respect having drop shotting one major exception to my preferred method of fishing faster.

[WallStreetAmigo]

Originally Posted by islandbass

That's a good observation. I actually prefer to fish faster than slower but drop shotting is the only technique I can actually tolerate fishing slowly. I guess I'm a bit weird in that respect having drop shotting one major exception to my preferred method of fishing faster.

I haven't really figured out which I like better, fishing faster or slower. I really enjoy spinnerbaits and frogs (fast) and dropshotting and wacky/t-rigged plastics (slow). I guess I'm weird too....

I've learned a lot about some members from this thread and I also have a pretty good idea who I could PM if I want to ask a technique-specific question.

[pig n jig]

Originally Posted by WallStreetAmigo

Hey PNJ, what's your least favourite technique? Oh, and thanks for the tip on buzzbaits. One of my new years fishing resolutions is to give the buzzbait a fair try next year as I always gave up on it if it didn't produce fast results. I think the addition of a much faster reel will help me to do this.

I hate fishing jerkbaits. They will wear you out, not to mention wear holes through your skin, if you stick with them all day, if your fishing them properly.They do work and you will work to get rewarded.

I am one who loves to fish slow.I like the chances of catching a bigger fish, by slowing down.Those fish don't get big by chasing everything , slow down and allow it to happen.

In saying that, know when to fish fast and upsize your offerings. It isn't every day it happens, you need to know what the fish want. P N J

[zooker]

Originally Posted by WallStreetAmigo

wacky/t-rigged plastics (slow)..

who said this was a "slow" thing?? we speed fish t-rigs and wacky rigs.. one of my favorites is dead droppin a t-rig. it works on any vertical struture..

zooker

[ROBZILLA]

I like everything except the rattle trap. For some reason they don't work well for me.

[WallStreetAmigo]

Originally Posted by zooker

who said this was a "slow" thing?? we speed fish t-rigs and wacky rigs.. one of my favorites is dead droppin a t-rig. it works on any vertical struture..

zooker

zook my friend, vertical structure on my water is as rare as an argument with my wife that I actually win!

I do fish plastics fast and slow though, but mostly slower.

[zooker]

there is alot more vertical struture on a lake than you think.. even on the quite "wild" lakes you fish.. you just got to think about it right.. standing timber,docks,stumps,bluff banks,and bridge butments are all examples of "vertical struture"...

zooker

[WallStreetAmigo]

Originally Posted by zooker

there is alot more vertical struture on a lake than you think.. even on the quite "wild" lakes you fish.. you just got to think about it right.. standing timber,docks,stumps,bluff banks,and bridge butments are all examples of "vertical struture"...

zooker

That's why I'm here, so I can learn from you guys how to think about it the right way...