Losing the ability to catch Bass!

OrygunBasser · 05-05-09, 02:57 PM

How can a person actually lose the ability to catch Bass?

OK, I am 61 years old and obviously I have lost some reflex's and feeling in my hands. My eyes are still pretty good and I have a pair of prescription polarized glasses that I wear fishing. This has not just been this year, it has been for about the last five! Here is the rest of it!

I live on the best Bass Lake in my state, I have fished it for over 45 years. I know it like the back of my hand! Yet I cannot seem to catch bass anymore anywhere near like I used to! I have friends that are older than me that kick my *** on a regular basis. I do not even get the reaction bites that I should be getting! I have only caught 6 Bass this year so far and worked my *** off for those!

I have actually thought about selling my boat and quitting Bass fishing!

I'm feeling like a Hasbeen!!!

nofearengineer · 05-05-09, 03:15 PM

I think you need to feed the monkey some more...that'll help. Always works for me.

Raul · 05-05-09, 04:12 PM

Are you fishing memories or the current conditions ?

The BaitMonkey ? well I´m a victim of him ( a good "customer"

), I won´t deny it, I love to purchase stuff

. But from all I own 95% of it has never touched the water, I´m not your age and most probably haven´t fished for that long but in 30 years of dedicated bass fishing I catch them with in practical terms the same baits I´ve bee fishing with for the past 30 years:

The venarable 7.5 inch Culprit ribbon tail worm T-rigged
The always popular ( to bass ) 6-8 inch single tail worm rigged in many different ways.
A 1/2 oz jig
Hula popper
Jitterbug
Zara Spook
Rapala original floating minnow
Rapala Shad Rap
4-5 inch curly tail grub
In-line spinners

And such, got senkos ! ..... seldomly touch them

Same old, same old.

What changes is locations and presentations depending upon conditions, today can be a completely different scenario of what was yesterday.

Jim80 · 05-05-09, 04:14 PM

just give it time man it'll come back around to ya .

Jim

cassidyta · 05-05-09, 05:12 PM

I agree with Raul here, but I think the best point that he made is the question, "Are you fishing memories or conditions?"
I know from experience that it is easy to fall back on the what worked last year or even last trip mentality. I believe that this all the more amplified if it is a body of water that we fish very often.
I am not saying th ebait monkey is the answer, but maybe an assesment of your current baits and what weather and water conditions you use them in.
Since you said that this has been going on for a couple of years now, I would suspect that confidence in your baits is fairly low as well. In that case, I would say find a nice glassy body of water in an early morning and throw topwater against the western bank. Get a few fish landed and the confidence starts to come back.

BassinID · 05-05-09, 05:16 PM

When my catch rates start to suffer I break it back down to basics, throw a t-rigged worm, a white willow/colarado spinnerbait, a black back chart side white bottom 12' crank, a blue and black jig. I stick to those four baits and really pick structure apart, and if I am still not catching bass I go deep with a football jig and work points and humps.

Its not your technique from the sounds of it. Just keep at it and keep it fun, thats why we are out there in the first place.

bamabassman · 05-05-09, 05:38 PM

no.. my friend, you haven't lost your ability. you are just in a slump. trust me, i have been there and done that too. hadn't fished in 17 years, thought i could just pick up where i left off at. but no.. i am having to re-learn everything. things have changed in 20 years. the fish are still there, still hit SOME of the same old baits. but things have changed some. maybe you are OVER thinking now that you are struggling. i know i did. relax, take your time, and ENJOY the nature of it all. it'll come back to ya, i promise.

66KingFisher · 05-05-09, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bamabassman

no.. my friend, you haven't lost your ability. you are just in a slump. trust me, i have been there and done that too. hadn't fished in 17 years, thought i could just pick up where i left off at. but no.. i am having to re-learn everything. things have changed in 20 years. the fish are still there, still hit SOME of the same old baits. but things have changed some. maybe you are OVER thinking now that you are struggling. i know i did. relax, take your time, and ENJOY the nature of it all. it'll come back to ya, i promise.

I couldn't agree more.....I felt exactly the same as Bama just discribed when I started fishing again last year,after not fishing for close to 15yrs....thought it'd be like ridin a bike but I quickly found myself crashin....alot,lol. Couldn't catch a bass to save my life.....begin wondering if there really was any bass in this lake....I had to ask some other fisherman if there was...lol...They said "Oh yeah, but they are finicky and tough to figure out".....so I kept at it....took me close to 6 weeks of regular fishing before I finally picked up a nice three pounder on some soft plastics.....dunno why it took so long.....but i'm glad I stuck with it.....You need to stick with it too....specially if you love fishin.....don't quit doin what you love.

I may not sack'm in every time I go now, but I seldom getted skunked....but when I do it ain't no big thang cause I just enjoy bein on the water and watchin nature.....makes for a great day.

Unless your tournament fishin(which is like work), just focus on kickin back and enjoy what you doin, and where your at, and who your with.

OrygunBasser · 05-05-09, 06:27 PM

No disrespect to any of you that answered the post and thank you for taking the time, but do you not think that I know all you have said as far as how to catch Bass in every imaginable situation at my age!???? I think that I know every method known to the average Bass Fisherman!

What I don't get is that whatever I try just doesn't seem to work for me as it does for everyone else! I'm not locked in to old techniques or refuse to change with the times. I have kept up over the years. I do still fish the old ways at times also! Cold it be that I try to make it too hard? Hell, I really do not know, all I know is that I just should be doing better than I am!

I go out and catch a couple fish, I know other fishermen that are out on the water at the same time, they have caught 2-3 fish to my one under the same conditions, On "MY" lake which I live on and they live inland and have not fished this body of water anywhere near as much as I have! I ask what they caught them on and usually they caught them doing mostly what I was doing! I just fished a tournament on this lake and caught only one 3 1/2# fish. Other people from all over Oregon outfished me 5:1 or more!

It's just frustrating!

keithdog · 05-05-09, 06:53 PM

That has to be very frustrating. Outside of techniques which I'm sure you already have, could there be other things that have changed. Do you get out on the water as early as you used to? Do you fish the water as fast as you used to? Do you stay in one location longer than you used to? I know as we age we tend to slow down. I don't mean any disrespect my friend. I know I've seen it in myself to some degree. As we get older, we tend not to work the water as hard as maybe we did when we were thirty years old. Has the pressure on the lake increased over the years. My favorite lake is harder to fish in recent years due to so many more fisherman utilizing that lake. Many more than past years. Perhaps the lake itself has changed and as Cass mentioned, the locations that hold the fish may have changed. And lastly, talk to your doctor. Perhaps your not feeling the subtle strike of the fish in your hands like you used to. That could indicate a medical condition that needs addressed. Good luck buddy. Hang in there.

MallenManson · 05-05-09, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim80

just give it time man it'll come back around to ya .

Jim

Yeah, what he said

zooker · 05-05-09, 08:17 PM

orygun

i think your stuck in the box..you need a fresh approach new eyes so to speak.. i have a question. when was the last time you fished from the back of some one elses boat on this lake??

bass have the ability to sense patterns..if your running the boat the same old way they notice.. i dout it's the baits..my thought is. it is boat control or positioning..

zooker

bamabassman · 05-05-09, 08:20 PM

well pal, i think you hit the nail on the head when you said that maybe you were trying too hard. this is what i meant when i said, relax, back up and just let go. kinda like ulearn what you have known for longer than we have been living know. YOU know how to catch fish man. i KNOW you do. i have not doubt in my mind what-so-ever. but i think you are furstrated and wanting to just take some dynamite (like me alot of times) and blow up the lake. i have and am in the same situation each time i go out. i just relax, look around and let the moma nature tell me what to do. i really do. my wife and i went to mississippiboy's for a nice weekend, we had been planning it forever it seemed. and when we got out on the water, you couldn't have drawn it up any better. fog rising up off the water, not too cold, not hot at all. quiet and calming. we just KNEW we were gonna lad some hawgs that day. perfect day for fishing. but my frined, we didn't get a single hit from a bass. my wife caught the only fish that bit, a crappie (1#8oz). a fine fish. but that was it. i know that it really upset my friend daniel. i too was not happy about it. but hey, we got to visit and have a fantastic time with our FRIENDS. THE FISHING IS SECOND TO THAT.
now i ain't saying we ain't going back to that lake, we ARE. cause we know that there are huge bass in there. we just didn't hit it at the right time or whatever.
just step back a minute and relax bud. it'll come back to ya man. and keith is right also. if you think that you are not feeling the hits. talk to your doctor. i can't feel em like i used to either. i have arthuritis and it is getting worse as i get older. not gonna get any better either. but i ain't gonna let it stop me from fishing. nothing is gonna stop me from fishing till i am dead and gone. most likely i will be on the water when i do go. lord willing, with my lovely wife in the back hauling in the bigguns. and me smiling all the while.

Kevin · 05-05-09, 08:32 PM

This may turn into one of the best threads we've ever had, because I believe anglers achieve their greatest breakthroughs after experiencing their greatest moments of frustration and despair. Experience only plays a partial role when it comes to being a successful angler. Sound decisions play the largest.

My beloved Washington Redskins have always been a team of undeniable talent and experience, with some of the highest paid players in the league, but it's been eons since they've been regarded as a dominant or winning team. We've had great coaches like Joe Gibbs, who came out of retirement to bring the team back to life. He failed. Pundits argue over why he failed, but experience isn't even considered as a potential reason. Gibbs oozed experience.

It's no different in fishing. Experience doesn't play the largest role. Sound decision making does. Today's professional bass tours are being dominated by a younger field. KVD, Reese, Evers, to name a few... all under 40 years of age.

The most recent FLW Tour event was won by Stetson Blaylock, a 21-year old angler. There will be members reading this thread that will undoubtedly have more experience on the water than he.

A few years back I had what I considered to be a "bad year" and had similar emotions at the time over many failed opportunities on the water. I remember it quite vividly because I kept little logs at the time about how I was fishing and what my mental game was that year. The very next year was a polar opposite. I had turned things around and came out better than I ever was before. It was in no small part due to my despair and failures from the previous year.

If there is one thing I can recommend, take some time one day to write down what you are feeling right now, where you are at with your fishing, why you think you are where you are (even if you aren't quite sure yet) and what you need to do to get where you are. As silly as this may sound to some, you will be amazed at what you'll be able to put together and how your brain will somehow turn on all that gray matter to produce valid explanations and sound advice for your future fishing.

In that particular year I was having a tough time, I learned it was because I was spending too much time trying to make things work with certain techniques in certain areas that I hadn't gotten to work much before. And to me, that was okay and much of it was "testing" or "learning", but when I was out and realized these particular techniques in these particular areas weren't working, I would go back to the "old playbook", instead of taking the time to actually think what would work for the conditions I was presently facing. So in a sense, I would go out being overzealous with one thing, and when that didn't work, I would fall back on that "old playbook" without fishing the present conditions. If there is one thing you constantly hear from KVD is "trust your instincts" or "fish the present", and I wasn't doing either very well. I was either being too risky or not risky enough. I'm sure I didn't explain this well, so I hope you can get a sense for what I'm trying to say at least. And of course there were other things, but writing them all down and really spending time thinking about it all and coming up with a new mental game plan to fix these errors did wonders.

I've also had the rare opportunity to fish with some of the best anglers on the planet, some I even named above, old and young, and I can honestly say the young guys fish drastically different than the older guys. The young guys are quick on the trolling motor, more keen on their tackle and most importantly, don't subscribe to the FAR TOO MANY old wives tales that plague this darn sport.

You are more inclined to succeed as a bass fisherman than 99% of the other anglers out there, simply because you've taken notice to your luck of late and are taking action to try to figure out what you need to do to fix it. That says plenty, and I have no doubt you'll recover and come back stronger than you ever were.

The bad year of mine I spoke of earlier was really my first BIG slump.. and I'm sure it won't be my last. But when my next slump comes, I'll rest easier knowing that all that's needed is a little introspection to come out better than I was before!

So keep your head up... it won't last long. Greatness is around the corner.

Captmikestarrett · 05-05-09, 08:38 PM

So far all the responses have picked on the material of bass fishing. Position, structure , lures and such. My response is to have fun and throw things that would never work, go back twenty years and just have fun.

Heck pick up a cane pole and a shinner.

Fishing is about relaxing and having fun....

I learned that from my daughter in many tournys she fished with me.

Capt Mike

JB · 05-05-09, 08:57 PM

I'd say enjoy the time out on the water, watching nature, and get back to basic baits and spend more time with them, like using a jig or worm or spinnerbait and see what happens. Also I think theres more pressure on lakes than when you started way back then.
And, I find that most anglers only get two or three at times, and that most on the lake that same day get the same results..
I encourage you to stay on top of reading the depth finder and fish areas that you find bait fish with bigger fish either suspended near them or lower than them. Do that instead of fishing the same meat route areas on the lake that your always go to...and if you find bait fish in one of your favortie areas take advantage of staying on top of their movement throughout the day..
the fish will come back to You I am sure. One last thing you may consider is take a new fisherman under your wing and show him the ropes, the excitement of seeing them learn and then catching is really neat. Plus when they start to equal your skill level years later it can be very rewarding.

bassinbob · 05-05-09, 09:59 PM

Might I suggest something out of the box, so to speak? Have you tried a scent? Maybe you are turning the bass off with something on your hands. Zooker explained about your presentation. Maybe all the bass know your scent and avoid your baits. I know it sounds a little weird but what would it hurt to try a crawdad or shad scent added to your baits?
Do you find yourself catching dinks as opposed to bigger bass? As you know they react more than a fish that's been around and seen a lot of baits. Most importantly, as said a few times above, don't give up and enjoy your time on the water.

bamabassman · 05-05-09, 10:46 PM

very good read kevin. and capt, jb, that is what i mean by stepping back. just take in the atmosphere. let the glory of the day make you smile. cause ther are a lot of people that can't be where we are when we are fishing.there are folks out there that wold give anything to be able to relax and enjoy nature. after a hard day at work, i truly enjoy it when my wife tells me "take me fishing". it relaxes me and she knows it. fun when we catch a few, fun when we don't. we get to talk without any interuptions at all. well, except when she says "GOT HIM", LOL.

nofearengineer · 05-05-09, 11:52 PM

I think Bama's got it right...just being out there in the middle of the woods, water, and wilderness is just awesome.

Here's something I do that helps relax me when I get too hyper, competitive, and downright grumpy. I take my camera with me to the local woods or lake. I don't know if you do any photography, but taking pictures of wildlife and scenery is something that sort of focuses me (nice play on words, eh?

) It's a rare combination of sit back, shut up, relax, but listen and pay attention. When I finally get back to fishing, I don't know if I catch more, but I sure feel better doing it.

woody · 05-06-09, 12:18 PM

No Arms, No Legs? No Problem for Tournament Fisherman
07/27/02
By John Phillips
Clay Dyer's motto for life is, "If I can, you can."

Dyer, 24, of Hamilton, Ala. stands less than 40 inches tall and weighs 86 pounds. But put him on a boat on a lake, and he proves that physical deficiencies are no obstacles when it comes to catching fish.

When he was only 5 years old, Dyer realized the difference between himself and other children. Dyer was born with no full-sized arms - only a partial arm on his right shoulder - and no legs. Most people will consider Dyer handicapped, but he doesn't see himself that way.

"I knew I had a heart, a soul and a mind, which is what really makes a human being," Dyer says. "Anything else you have is a bonus."

That kind of attitude and a determined work ethic has helped Dyer develop amazing skill with a bass rod and the lures in his tackle box.

Fishing for 19 years, Dyer has tournament fished since age 15 and fished full-time since 1995. The highly competitive Dyer has fished in more than 200 bass tournaments and won 25.

"I knew when I started bass fishing tournaments that I probably wouldn't win in the beginning," Dyer said. "I realized that I had a lot to learn, and I was willing to invest the time required to master my profession."

Dyer had to learn how to fish competitively, a difficult task at best. Also to compete, he had to create a completely new style of bass fishing that would enable him to fish independently and efficiently and maximize the energy of his small frame.

Dyer holds his rod between his shoulder and his chin and supports the rod with his arm. People who have seen Dyer cast with pinpoint accuracy say that his cast looks much like a golf swing. But he can cast overhanded and side-armed as well as flip and pitch. Dyer can cast a 1/4-ounce jig into a Styrofoam coffee cup from 30 to 50 feet. But there's more to being a competitive angler than just casting accuracy.

As Dyer said, "When I first started fishing, the competition blew me away, particularly on the B.A.S.S. Federation Circuit. But, instead of getting down mentally, I tried to learn something new at every tournament I attended.

"At first, the other fishermen were a little standoffish. They couldn't understand how someone who looked like me could fish, much less compete in a professional tournament. They couldn't figure out how a 40-inch-tall guy with only one 16-inch-long arm could flip and pitch under docks and piers and overhanging bushes or how he could drive a bass boat at 70 mph safely. Most of the fishermen in my early days of competing were uncertain about my abilities - until they went on the water with me, saw me drive my boat and fish."

Like all the other competitors in a tournament, Dyer wears a life jacket while driving his boat. But when he gets ready to fish, he sheds his life jacket.

When asked what happens if he falls into the water while fishing, Dyer laughed. "I can swim like a fish, and I love to go swimming. Often after a hard day of tournament fishing, swimming helps me stretch and relax my muscles that have been tensed up all day."

Larry Hopson, also of Hamilton, and one of the many anglers who has fished tournaments with Dyer for six years, said he was skeptical of Dyer's abilities at first.

"I was a little apprehensive to fish with him at first and was nervous about his ability to drive a boat at 70 mph," Hopson said. "However, within five minutes of being on the water with him, I was relaxed and comfortable and knew he could handle that boat.

"Fishing with Clay is an inspiration to me. The only thing you have to do for Clay is help him into the boat and put his life jacket on him. He handles anything else. You may have to open up a soft drink or a bottle of water every once in awhile for him, but that's all."

When people ask Hopson how Dyer fishes, he tells them, "The best way to learn how Clay fishes is to go with him and watch. I've seen him take lures off, put lures on, tie knots, thread worms on hooks, tie on spinner baits and crankbaits and jerk 3- and 4-pound bass into the boat or even crawl into a brushpile headfirst to get a hooked bass out of thick cover.

"I've watched Clay run his trolling motor and cast with pinpoint accuracy. And even though I've fished with him hundreds of times, I'm still not sure how he does what he does. He's an amazing man with an amazing talent."

Dyer's true strength is his attitude and spirit.

"My competing as a tournament angler isn't really a big deal," Dyer said. "I just take what I have and try to do the very best I can with it. By adopting this attitude, I've discovered that I can do things that I've never thought possible.

"I love a challenge and competition. And I've always enjoyed proving that I can do what anyone else can do. When someone tells me I can't, I'll do whatever I have to do to prove that I can.

"I played baseball all through junior-high school. I was either the catcher or the first baseman, so I didn't have to move a lot. When my turn came to bat, I had a designated runner. I knew I would never be a professional baseball player.

"However, I believed that I could be a professional fisherman if I worked at it. I realized that becoming a professional fisherman would be a challenge. But I also felt that God wanted me to be successful at fishing and to demonstrate that if Clay Dyer could do it, anybody who had a goal in life could achieve that goal."

When asked about his future, Dyer said, "I feel like I'm doing what God wants me to do. However, as much as I love competitive fishing, if God tells me to put fishing aside and do something else, I will. As long as my health stays good and I can cast a rod, I plan to keep on fishing.

"My dad says I'll be fishing until I'm six feet under."

http://www.smgoutdoors.com/claydyer.html

OrygunBasser · 05-06-09, 01:34 PM

Thanks all for your reply's and attemp to lift me up! I honestly thought most of you would just say to "Suck it up" and stop the pitty party!

To address a few things:

I wash my hands often. I'm very carefull about what I touch afterwards! I use a sent on about everything! I use Mega stike mostly! Maybe I should change!

I take people fishing all the time but lately I can't put them on fish!

I don't experiment durring a tournament and stay with the basics that I know have produced in the past on this lake. Jigs, lipless cranks, jerkbaits, Spinnerbaits, Brush hogs and senkos with some dropshotting thrown in! When I prefished I threw all kinds of differnt things without success!

I talked with the person that won the tounament and it made me feel just that much worse. They had there limit by 8AM and culled a half dozen fish throughout the day! I stuggled to catch one! No particulars were discussed though!

I hope it passes, Right now I don't care if I ever fish again!

bassintom · 05-06-09, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bamabassman

no.. my friend, you haven't lost your ability. you are just in a slump. trust me, i have been there and done that too. hadn't fished in 17 years, thought i could just pick up where i left off at. but no.. i am having to re-learn everything. things have changed in 20 years. the fish are still there, still hit SOME of the same old baits. but things have changed some. maybe you are OVER thinking now that you are struggling. i know i did. relax, take your time, and ENJOY the nature of it all. it'll come back to ya, i promise.

Bama brings the science...
I've been there done that.Thinking Wtf,am I getting old and just losing it?
Nah,you can have off years.This has been a great year so far.Last couple of years sort of sucked.I just stick to the basics...4" red shad worm and red shad senkotypebaits.

flfireman · 05-06-09, 10:10 PM

Im not going to add to all the above. I believe the info handed out is great. By any chance are you a diabetic or have any circulation issues? You mayy be losing some sensation in your fingers and that why you are missing fish. Im not wishing anything bad on you, just another angle to look at. I build fluid up in my hands and feet after a long day of standing, by the end of a tourney day you can't see my ankles. Sometimes my hands swell and I lose a lot of feeling in them and yes it has affected my fishing before. Other than that.....Suck it up and have fun.(just a joke from your earlier comment)

zooker · 05-06-09, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassintom

I've been there done that.Thinking Wtf,am I getting old and just losing it?
Nah,you can have off years.This has been a great year so far.Last couple of years sort of sucked.I just stick to the basics...4" red shad worm and red shad senkotypebaits.

i know tom he tends to be right -50+ years of bass anglin-

zooker

B-I-G · 05-06-09, 10:53 PM

Well said Kevin

05-05-09, 02:57 PM	#1
OrygunBasser BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Lakeside, Oregon Posts: 159	Losing the ability to catch Bass! How can a person actually lose the ability to catch Bass? OK, I am 61 years old and obviously I have lost some reflex's and feeling in my hands. My eyes are still pretty good and I have a pair of prescription polarized glasses that I wear fishing. This has not just been this year, it has been for about the last five! Here is the rest of it! I live on the best Bass Lake in my state, I have fished it for over 45 years. I know it like the back of my hand! Yet I cannot seem to catch bass anymore anywhere near like I used to! I have friends that are older than me that kick my * on a regular basis. I do not even get the reaction bites that I should be getting! I have only caught 6 Bass this year so far and worked my * off for those! I have actually thought about selling my boat and quitting Bass fishing! I'm feeling like a Hasbeen!!! __________________ You may practice catch and release as a religion but that doesn't mean that the next person has to bow down to your god!

05-05-09, 04:14 PM	#4
Jim80 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Thomaston CT Posts: 3,862	just give it time man it'll come back around to ya . Jim __________________ In memory of Zooker 1/11/73-7/2/2010. You will be sorely missed and never forgotten.

05-05-09, 05:12 PM	#5
cassidyta BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,928	I agree with Raul here, but I think the best point that he made is the question, "Are you fishing memories or conditions?" I know from experience that it is easy to fall back on the what worked last year or even last trip mentality. I believe that this all the more amplified if it is a body of water that we fish very often. I am not saying th ebait monkey is the answer, but maybe an assesment of your current baits and what weather and water conditions you use them in. Since you said that this has been going on for a couple of years now, I would suspect that confidence in your baits is fairly low as well. In that case, I would say find a nice glassy body of water in an early morning and throw topwater against the western bank. Get a few fish landed and the confidence starts to come back. __________________ If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes.

05-05-09, 05:38 PM	#7
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	no.. my friend, you haven't lost your ability. you are just in a slump. trust me, i have been there and done that too. hadn't fished in 17 years, thought i could just pick up where i left off at. but no.. i am having to re-learn everything. things have changed in 20 years. the fish are still there, still hit SOME of the same old baits. but things have changed some. maybe you are OVER thinking now that you are struggling. i know i did. relax, take your time, and ENJOY the nature of it all. it'll come back to ya, i promise. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

05-05-09, 06:27 PM	#9
OrygunBasser BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Lakeside, Oregon Posts: 159	No disrespect to any of you that answered the post and thank you for taking the time, but do you not think that I know all you have said as far as how to catch Bass in every imaginable situation at my age!???? I think that I know every method known to the average Bass Fisherman! What I don't get is that whatever I try just doesn't seem to work for me as it does for everyone else! I'm not locked in to old techniques or refuse to change with the times. I have kept up over the years. I do still fish the old ways at times also! Cold it be that I try to make it too hard? Hell, I really do not know, all I know is that I just should be doing better than I am! I go out and catch a couple fish, I know other fishermen that are out on the water at the same time, they have caught 2-3 fish to my one under the same conditions, On "MY" lake which I live on and they live inland and have not fished this body of water anywhere near as much as I have! I ask what they caught them on and usually they caught them doing mostly what I was doing! I just fished a tournament on this lake and caught only one 3 1/2# fish. Other people from all over Oregon outfished me 5:1 or more! It's just frustrating! __________________ You may practice catch and release as a religion but that doesn't mean that the next person has to bow down to your god! Last edited by OrygunBasser; 05-05-09 at 06:34 PM.

05-05-09, 03:15 PM	#2
nofearengineer BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southwest IN Posts: 5,630	I think you need to feed the monkey some more...that'll help. Always works for me.

05-05-09, 04:12 PM	#3
Raul BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,030	Are you fishing memories or the current conditions ? The BaitMonkey ? well I´m a victim of him ( a good "customer" ), I won´t deny it, I love to purchase stuff . But from all I own 95% of it has never touched the water, I´m not your age and most probably haven´t fished for that long but in 30 years of dedicated bass fishing I catch them with in practical terms the same baits I´ve bee fishing with for the past 30 years: The venarable 7.5 inch Culprit ribbon tail worm T-rigged The always popular ( to bass ) 6-8 inch single tail worm rigged in many different ways. A 1/2 oz jig Hula popper Jitterbug Zara Spook Rapala original floating minnow Rapala Shad Rap 4-5 inch curly tail grub In-line spinners And such, got senkos ! ..... seldomly touch them Same old, same old. What changes is locations and presentations depending upon conditions, today can be a completely different scenario of what was yesterday.

05-05-09, 05:16 PM	#6
BassinID BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Too far from largemouth, Idaho Posts: 672	When my catch rates start to suffer I break it back down to basics, throw a t-rigged worm, a white willow/colarado spinnerbait, a black back chart side white bottom 12' crank, a blue and black jig. I stick to those four baits and really pick structure apart, and if I am still not catching bass I go deep with a football jig and work points and humps. Its not your technique from the sounds of it. Just keep at it and keep it fun, thats why we are out there in the first place.

05-05-09, 06:53 PM	#10
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	That has to be very frustrating. Outside of techniques which I'm sure you already have, could there be other things that have changed. Do you get out on the water as early as you used to? Do you fish the water as fast as you used to? Do you stay in one location longer than you used to? I know as we age we tend to slow down. I don't mean any disrespect my friend. I know I've seen it in myself to some degree. As we get older, we tend not to work the water as hard as maybe we did when we were thirty years old. Has the pressure on the lake increased over the years. My favorite lake is harder to fish in recent years due to so many more fisherman utilizing that lake. Many more than past years. Perhaps the lake itself has changed and as Cass mentioned, the locations that hold the fish may have changed. And lastly, talk to your doctor. Perhaps your not feeling the subtle strike of the fish in your hands like you used to. That could indicate a medical condition that needs addressed. Good luck buddy. Hang in there.

05-05-09, 08:17 PM	#12
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	orygun i think your stuck in the box..you need a fresh approach new eyes so to speak.. i have a question. when was the last time you fished from the back of some one elses boat on this lake?? bass have the ability to sense patterns..if your running the boat the same old way they notice.. i dout it's the baits..my thought is. it is boat control or positioning.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

05-05-09, 08:20 PM	#13
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	well pal, i think you hit the nail on the head when you said that maybe you were trying too hard. this is what i meant when i said, relax, back up and just let go. kinda like ulearn what you have known for longer than we have been living know. YOU know how to catch fish man. i KNOW you do. i have not doubt in my mind what-so-ever. but i think you are furstrated and wanting to just take some dynamite (like me alot of times) and blow up the lake. i have and am in the same situation each time i go out. i just relax, look around and let the moma nature tell me what to do. i really do. my wife and i went to mississippiboy's for a nice weekend, we had been planning it forever it seemed. and when we got out on the water, you couldn't have drawn it up any better. fog rising up off the water, not too cold, not hot at all. quiet and calming. we just KNEW we were gonna lad some hawgs that day. perfect day for fishing. but my frined, we didn't get a single hit from a bass. my wife caught the only fish that bit, a crappie (1#8oz). a fine fish. but that was it. i know that it really upset my friend daniel. i too was not happy about it. but hey, we got to visit and have a fantastic time with our FRIENDS. THE FISHING IS SECOND TO THAT. now i ain't saying we ain't going back to that lake, we ARE. cause we know that there are huge bass in there. we just didn't hit it at the right time or whatever. just step back a minute and relax bud. it'll come back to ya man. and keith is right also. if you think that you are not feeling the hits. talk to your doctor. i can't feel em like i used to either. i have arthuritis and it is getting worse as i get older. not gonna get any better either. but i ain't gonna let it stop me from fishing. nothing is gonna stop me from fishing till i am dead and gone. most likely i will be on the water when i do go. lord willing, with my lovely wife in the back hauling in the bigguns. and me smiling all the while. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

05-05-09, 08:32 PM	#14
Kevin Administrator Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 651	This may turn into one of the best threads we've ever had, because I believe anglers achieve their greatest breakthroughs after experiencing their greatest moments of frustration and despair. Experience only plays a partial role when it comes to being a successful angler. Sound decisions play the largest. My beloved Washington Redskins have always been a team of undeniable talent and experience, with some of the highest paid players in the league, but it's been eons since they've been regarded as a dominant or winning team. We've had great coaches like Joe Gibbs, who came out of retirement to bring the team back to life. He failed. Pundits argue over why he failed, but experience isn't even considered as a potential reason. Gibbs oozed experience. It's no different in fishing. Experience doesn't play the largest role. Sound decision making does. Today's professional bass tours are being dominated by a younger field. KVD, Reese, Evers, to name a few... all under 40 years of age. The most recent FLW Tour event was won by Stetson Blaylock, a 21-year old angler. There will be members reading this thread that will undoubtedly have more experience on the water than he. A few years back I had what I considered to be a "bad year" and had similar emotions at the time over many failed opportunities on the water. I remember it quite vividly because I kept little logs at the time about how I was fishing and what my mental game was that year. The very next year was a polar opposite. I had turned things around and came out better than I ever was before. It was in no small part due to my despair and failures from the previous year. If there is one thing I can recommend, take some time one day to write down what you are feeling right now, where you are at with your fishing, why you think you are where you are (even if you aren't quite sure yet) and what you need to do to get where you are. As silly as this may sound to some, you will be amazed at what you'll be able to put together and how your brain will somehow turn on all that gray matter to produce valid explanations and sound advice for your future fishing. In that particular year I was having a tough time, I learned it was because I was spending too much time trying to make things work with certain techniques in certain areas that I hadn't gotten to work much before. And to me, that was okay and much of it was "testing" or "learning", but when I was out and realized these particular techniques in these particular areas weren't working, I would go back to the "old playbook", instead of taking the time to actually think what would work for the conditions I was presently facing. So in a sense, I would go out being overzealous with one thing, and when that didn't work, I would fall back on that "old playbook" without fishing the present conditions. If there is one thing you constantly hear from KVD is "trust your instincts" or "fish the present", and I wasn't doing either very well. I was either being too risky or not risky enough. I'm sure I didn't explain this well, so I hope you can get a sense for what I'm trying to say at least. And of course there were other things, but writing them all down and really spending time thinking about it all and coming up with a new mental game plan to fix these errors did wonders. I've also had the rare opportunity to fish with some of the best anglers on the planet, some I even named above, old and young, and I can honestly say the young guys fish drastically different than the older guys. The young guys are quick on the trolling motor, more keen on their tackle and most importantly, don't subscribe to the FAR TOO MANY old wives tales that plague this darn sport. You are more inclined to succeed as a bass fisherman than 99% of the other anglers out there, simply because you've taken notice to your luck of late and are taking action to try to figure out what you need to do to fix it. That says plenty, and I have no doubt you'll recover and come back stronger than you ever were. The bad year of mine I spoke of earlier was really my first BIG slump.. and I'm sure it won't be my last. But when my next slump comes, I'll rest easier knowing that all that's needed is a little introspection to come out better than I was before! So keep your head up... it won't last long. Greatness is around the corner.

05-05-09, 08:38 PM	#15
Captmikestarrett BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: May 2006 Location: Accokeek MD Posts: 3,315	So far all the responses have picked on the material of bass fishing. Position, structure , lures and such. My response is to have fun and throw things that would never work, go back twenty years and just have fun. Heck pick up a cane pole and a shinner. Fishing is about relaxing and having fun.... I learned that from my daughter in many tournys she fished with me. Capt Mike __________________ Capt Mike Starrett light tackle guide Potomac River http://www.indianheadcharters.com

05-05-09, 08:57 PM	#16
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	I'd say enjoy the time out on the water, watching nature, and get back to basic baits and spend more time with them, like using a jig or worm or spinnerbait and see what happens. Also I think theres more pressure on lakes than when you started way back then. And, I find that most anglers only get two or three at times, and that most on the lake that same day get the same results.. I encourage you to stay on top of reading the depth finder and fish areas that you find bait fish with bigger fish either suspended near them or lower than them. Do that instead of fishing the same meat route areas on the lake that your always go to...and if you find bait fish in one of your favortie areas take advantage of staying on top of their movement throughout the day.. the fish will come back to You I am sure. One last thing you may consider is take a new fisherman under your wing and show him the ropes, the excitement of seeing them learn and then catching is really neat. Plus when they start to equal your skill level years later it can be very rewarding.

05-05-09, 09:59 PM	#17
bassinbob BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Pitts. Pa. Posts: 3,801	Might I suggest something out of the box, so to speak? Have you tried a scent? Maybe you are turning the bass off with something on your hands. Zooker explained about your presentation. Maybe all the bass know your scent and avoid your baits. I know it sounds a little weird but what would it hurt to try a crawdad or shad scent added to your baits? Do you find yourself catching dinks as opposed to bigger bass? As you know they react more than a fish that's been around and seen a lot of baits. Most importantly, as said a few times above, don't give up and enjoy your time on the water. __________________ you can have my fishin rod when ya take it from my cold dead hands

05-05-09, 10:46 PM	#18
bamabassman BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: cedar bluff, alabama Posts: 15,292	very good read kevin. and capt, jb, that is what i mean by stepping back. just take in the atmosphere. let the glory of the day make you smile. cause ther are a lot of people that can't be where we are when we are fishing.there are folks out there that wold give anything to be able to relax and enjoy nature. after a hard day at work, i truly enjoy it when my wife tells me "take me fishing". it relaxes me and she knows it. fun when we catch a few, fun when we don't. we get to talk without any interuptions at all. well, except when she says "GOT HIM", LOL. __________________ so many lures, so little time.

05-05-09, 11:52 PM	#19
nofearengineer BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southwest IN Posts: 5,630	I think Bama's got it right...just being out there in the middle of the woods, water, and wilderness is just awesome. Here's something I do that helps relax me when I get too hyper, competitive, and downright grumpy. I take my camera with me to the local woods or lake. I don't know if you do any photography, but taking pictures of wildlife and scenery is something that sort of focuses me (nice play on words, eh? ) It's a rare combination of sit back, shut up, relax, but listen and pay attention. When I finally get back to fishing, I don't know if I catch more, but I sure feel better doing it.

05-06-09, 12:18 PM	#20
woody BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Jonesville, Indiana Posts: 3,597	Clay Dyer, an inspiration to all of us. No Arms, No Legs? No Problem for Tournament Fisherman 07/27/02 By John Phillips Clay Dyer's motto for life is, "If I can, you can." Dyer, 24, of Hamilton, Ala. stands less than 40 inches tall and weighs 86 pounds. But put him on a boat on a lake, and he proves that physical deficiencies are no obstacles when it comes to catching fish. When he was only 5 years old, Dyer realized the difference between himself and other children. Dyer was born with no full-sized arms - only a partial arm on his right shoulder - and no legs. Most people will consider Dyer handicapped, but he doesn't see himself that way. "I knew I had a heart, a soul and a mind, which is what really makes a human being," Dyer says. "Anything else you have is a bonus." That kind of attitude and a determined work ethic has helped Dyer develop amazing skill with a bass rod and the lures in his tackle box. Fishing for 19 years, Dyer has tournament fished since age 15 and fished full-time since 1995. The highly competitive Dyer has fished in more than 200 bass tournaments and won 25. "I knew when I started bass fishing tournaments that I probably wouldn't win in the beginning," Dyer said. "I realized that I had a lot to learn, and I was willing to invest the time required to master my profession." Dyer had to learn how to fish competitively, a difficult task at best. Also to compete, he had to create a completely new style of bass fishing that would enable him to fish independently and efficiently and maximize the energy of his small frame. Dyer holds his rod between his shoulder and his chin and supports the rod with his arm. People who have seen Dyer cast with pinpoint accuracy say that his cast looks much like a golf swing. But he can cast overhanded and side-armed as well as flip and pitch. Dyer can cast a 1/4-ounce jig into a Styrofoam coffee cup from 30 to 50 feet. But there's more to being a competitive angler than just casting accuracy. As Dyer said, "When I first started fishing, the competition blew me away, particularly on the B.A.S.S. Federation Circuit. But, instead of getting down mentally, I tried to learn something new at every tournament I attended. "At first, the other fishermen were a little standoffish. They couldn't understand how someone who looked like me could fish, much less compete in a professional tournament. They couldn't figure out how a 40-inch-tall guy with only one 16-inch-long arm could flip and pitch under docks and piers and overhanging bushes or how he could drive a bass boat at 70 mph safely. Most of the fishermen in my early days of competing were uncertain about my abilities - until they went on the water with me, saw me drive my boat and fish." Like all the other competitors in a tournament, Dyer wears a life jacket while driving his boat. But when he gets ready to fish, he sheds his life jacket. When asked what happens if he falls into the water while fishing, Dyer laughed. "I can swim like a fish, and I love to go swimming. Often after a hard day of tournament fishing, swimming helps me stretch and relax my muscles that have been tensed up all day." Larry Hopson, also of Hamilton, and one of the many anglers who has fished tournaments with Dyer for six years, said he was skeptical of Dyer's abilities at first. "I was a little apprehensive to fish with him at first and was nervous about his ability to drive a boat at 70 mph," Hopson said. "However, within five minutes of being on the water with him, I was relaxed and comfortable and knew he could handle that boat. "Fishing with Clay is an inspiration to me. The only thing you have to do for Clay is help him into the boat and put his life jacket on him. He handles anything else. You may have to open up a soft drink or a bottle of water every once in awhile for him, but that's all." When people ask Hopson how Dyer fishes, he tells them, "The best way to learn how Clay fishes is to go with him and watch. I've seen him take lures off, put lures on, tie knots, thread worms on hooks, tie on spinner baits and crankbaits and jerk 3- and 4-pound bass into the boat or even crawl into a brushpile headfirst to get a hooked bass out of thick cover. "I've watched Clay run his trolling motor and cast with pinpoint accuracy. And even though I've fished with him hundreds of times, I'm still not sure how he does what he does. He's an amazing man with an amazing talent." Dyer's true strength is his attitude and spirit. "My competing as a tournament angler isn't really a big deal," Dyer said. "I just take what I have and try to do the very best I can with it. By adopting this attitude, I've discovered that I can do things that I've never thought possible. "I love a challenge and competition. And I've always enjoyed proving that I can do what anyone else can do. When someone tells me I can't, I'll do whatever I have to do to prove that I can. "I played baseball all through junior-high school. I was either the catcher or the first baseman, so I didn't have to move a lot. When my turn came to bat, I had a designated runner. I knew I would never be a professional baseball player. "However, I believed that I could be a professional fisherman if I worked at it. I realized that becoming a professional fisherman would be a challenge. But I also felt that God wanted me to be successful at fishing and to demonstrate that if Clay Dyer could do it, anybody who had a goal in life could achieve that goal." When asked about his future, Dyer said, "I feel like I'm doing what God wants me to do. However, as much as I love competitive fishing, if God tells me to put fishing aside and do something else, I will. As long as my health stays good and I can cast a rod, I plan to keep on fishing. "My dad says I'll be fishing until I'm six feet under." http://www.smgoutdoors.com/claydyer.html Attached Images

05-06-09, 01:34 PM	#21
OrygunBasser BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Lakeside, Oregon Posts: 159	Thanks all for your reply's and attemp to lift me up! I honestly thought most of you would just say to "Suck it up" and stop the pitty party! To address a few things: I wash my hands often. I'm very carefull about what I touch afterwards! I use a sent on about everything! I use Mega stike mostly! Maybe I should change! I take people fishing all the time but lately I can't put them on fish! I don't experiment durring a tournament and stay with the basics that I know have produced in the past on this lake. Jigs, lipless cranks, jerkbaits, Spinnerbaits, Brush hogs and senkos with some dropshotting thrown in! When I prefished I threw all kinds of differnt things without success! I talked with the person that won the tounament and it made me feel just that much worse. They had there limit by 8AM and culled a half dozen fish throughout the day! I stuggled to catch one! No particulars were discussed though! I hope it passes, Right now I don't care if I ever fish again! __________________ You may practice catch and release as a religion but that doesn't mean that the next person has to bow down to your god!

05-06-09, 10:10 PM	#23
flfireman BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Palm Bay, Fl Posts: 2,751	Im not going to add to all the above. I believe the info handed out is great. By any chance are you a diabetic or have any circulation issues? You mayy be losing some sensation in your fingers and that why you are missing fish. Im not wishing anything bad on you, just another angle to look at. I build fluid up in my hands and feet after a long day of standing, by the end of a tourney day you can't see my ankles. Sometimes my hands swell and I lose a lot of feeling in them and yes it has affected my fishing before. Other than that.....Suck it up and have fun.(just a joke from your earlier comment) __________________ In the Lord all things are possible.

05-06-09, 10:53 PM	#25
B-I-G BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Maryland Posts: 115	Well said Kevin __________________ 2009 Fish Count: 76

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