Fishing for one species. A philosophical inquiry---well, sort of.

[Jigger]

My partner and I like to tournament bass fish but we fish the "bite" for other species as well. I'm the worst or the best about it. I fish for anything that hits an artificial---sandbass, walleye, bluegill on the fly, carp on the fly, crappie, stripers, even gar on the fly, you name it. If it's bitin' and it'll hit an artificial on baitcasting gear, spinning gear or a fly rod, I'll fish for it.

I think I could be a better bass fisherman if I weren't this way. If all I fished for were bass, I'd learn to catch them when they're biting and I'd learn to catch a few when the bite is off. But, alas, when the bite turns off, I switch to what is biting. I'd like to be a better bass tournament fisherman but I can't help myself. I just like to catch fish on lures or flys.

So, I guess the question is: Are you a better fisherman for a particular species because you only fish for that species in good times and in bad or do you think it makes a difference. Uh, or do you care??????????

[jooleyen]

Yes..............

[jooleyen]

Lol. I think I am better because I do only fish for bass when I could easily go catch a bunch of pike on a difficult day.

[bamabassman]

ditto to what jools said, with the exception of bream. love to catch bream on fly rods.

[Lancer6]

Jigger,

IMHO, anything you fish for will add valuable experience and benefit you in some way later, regardless of species.
By learning and refining techniques for one species you will become more prone to doing the same for others, especially developing a solid "Attention To Detail And Differencesl" when it comes to selection of tackle and the preparation/maintenance thereof, so well as tactics and sensitivity to fish behavior and prevailing conditions.
There is NO downside to fishing for a variety of species, especially if you're hankerin' for a fresh fish dinner or shore lunch.

L6

[Lancer6]

PS: Release the bass, eat the others!

L6

[pignjig]

Well, Jigger, that question is, for whatever reason, close to my heart. I grew up bait fishing for anything that swam. It was just what my father taught me and I was happy with it.

About 10 years ago, a buddy of mine invited me to fish for smallies on a local river and the bass bug took hold. Since then I've almost been obsessed with bass fishing.

It's like a big onion with many, many layers. It's also like Gump's box of chocolates. So, although 3d may have a differing opinion, I've spent years trying to become a "proficient" bass angler at the expense of forgetting how to simply bait fish.

I say fish how you want to fish. You'll become better at what you want to become better at through interest and discipline. If fishing ever becomes a chore, then we've lost the common thread.

Leonardo Da Vinci is a good example of how a man can have interests in several things and be good at all of them. It's too late for a nutshell, but, imho, if you enjoy multi-species fishing, I say go for it. If you want to be a better basser, then concentrate on that aspect...either way, I imagine that fishing bug's got ahold of you but good.

Good luck-

-Pig

[Bob60]

There's other fish in the lake ?

[Mac10]

One of the best bass fishermen on our reservoir strictly fishes for bass, until he discovers they aren't hitting, then switches to other fish. He's always busy catching something, always on artificials....but catching. His knowledge is expansive and for years wrote articles for the local papers, covering most species of local fish. He's developed a large mental arsenal he applies and is successful at doing. He doesn't carry much gear and fishes most of the time in a small 8 foor pram type plastic boat..... He owns a large bass boat with a 150 Yamaha, but prefers the little pram.

As for myself, I mainly go for the bass, but there are times when the vision of the pram apprears to be a better way to go..... Just my opinion.....

[3dkicker]

If you are tournament fishing for bass and you're catching bluegill then come and fish my tournaments. I'll be happy to take your money.
If you are out fishing for fun or part of a fun tournament then go ahead and whack 'em all and let the TD sort them out.
You can do both. Just make a mental adjustment depending on the situation.

Piggy2 - You didn't leave a box of chocolates in my boat did you?

[Jim80]

i look at it like this whatever you make your main focus will be your strong point . So
most of the time i try to only focus on bass , if my kids are with me it's time
usually spent playing with the panfish but like anything focusing on your main goal
will only make you better at it . Now with all that said i will switch of every now and again if the bite is not on , i try not to but it does happen .

[BigBassin144]

If the bass aren't biting I'll fish for something else. Like Musky, but I've never had any better luck with them either... I'm not goo at it, but I do like ot fly fish for bluegills and other assorted panfish. (colors may vary)

BB

[Lancer6]

The votes are in but, rather than state the obvious, let me paint a scenario and pose a question or two (or more, if they come to mind.)

Let's say you've been invited to spend a week at a friend's home somewhere in a place far away. He's told you there's plenty of fishing to be done in his part of the planet.
You pack your arsenal of highly specialized bassin' stuff into your Lime Green 2008 RoadRager and off you go. Seven hundred miles and a zillion bucks worth of gasoline later you arrive at your host's home. After a meal of tasty fish; a species previously unsampled by you, you hit the hay in anticipation of the next morning's adventure in angling...and some more of those tasty fish!
Pre-dawn, you and your host begin loading tackle into a type of boat that no more resembles a BassSlasher XL20.2 like the one you left in your garage than Oprah resembles Anna Kournikova. You also notice that HIS tackle in no resembles yours. The rods are longer (or shorter. After all this little exercise is for YOUR imagination.); The reels are smaller (or larger...you get the idea.) and they're spooled with some brightly colored line so thin as to double as repair material for hail-damaged spider webs.
Instead of a Magnum Super Pro Roland Martin Model bag containing sixty-plus pounds of stuff, maybe half of which has actually gotten wet at least once, his stash consists of a small box about the size of a Mickey Mouse Club Official Lunch Box. You've no idea what it contains.
On the way to the lake he tells you that the particularly tasty species of fish you so savored at last night's meal (Deliciosus Hardtocatchus AKA Orange-Lipped Prairie Perch) has stringent bag limits, each fisherman allowed to keep two a day, that each fish must be tagged, like a deer, and no angler may fill out another angler's limit. In other words...catch your own or it's SPAM(TM) 'n eggs for you, bozo!
You arrive at Lake Tantrum and launch that odd-looking boat, wait impatiently while the steam outboard builds up...errr...steam, then puff and wheeze off into the morning gloom. After an hour, give or take a few minutes, your host announces "We're here."
This is cover you've never seen or even imagined. In short, there isn't any.
No stumps to target. No weedbeds. No lily pads. No rocky point...Nuttin'...Nada...Zip...Zilch.
Puttin' on your game face, you take up your 7'3.2" Medium-Heavy "Oh, Son!" model rod, the Revorado XPDQ reel spooled with Beastie Braid (72 pound test), skillfully tie on a 3/4 ounce WiggleCritter and let fly.
Three hours, thirty-six tackle changes, and no fish later, you're host sez "Looky, I've got MY limit of Orange-Lippers and I need to leave soon. Maybe you should try MY gear and LET ME SHOW YOU HOW TO USE IT!"
Well, it's either that or that WW2 Era canned "meat product", sooooo...
Fast forward.
The two of you are happily gorging on 'Lipper flesh. That's right; Both of you. Why? Because you put aside the "How and What" of your usual fishing style and learned something new. Perhaps better yet, you've got some ideas as to how to employ some of the proven 'Lipper-catching techniques to boost your bass catch when you get home.

Q&A time:

Did you catch 'Lippers?
Did you learn anything?
Did it hurt?

If you answered "Yes", "Yes", "No", you pass.
Didn't pass? Take up bowling.

L6

[jooleyen]

Funny. The same thing just happened to me when I went to Canada. We went there with all of our stuff and when we finally arrived, the guy said there are no bass in these lakes. . We fished for bass anyways, and killed the walleye. We outfished all of those walleye fishermen by taking our bass tactics and slightly tweaking them. Now I know more about techniques for bass because there were no bass there!

Good point lancer.

[Jim80]

lancer you got a heck of way to paint a picture dude , and make a solid point good
stuff .

[bassnman30]

Your statements about the small "micky mouse club official lunch box" may hold true. When I go I have the baits tied on that I intend to use. I might carry a small box even though I have a larger box with the 60 + lbs of stuff that you referred to. With my small box I have everything that I intend to use. I may not even open the large box all day. As been stated before "confidence in what your using is the main key".