What technique are you going to improve or learn this year?

[Texas Transplant]

Okay boys and girls. Since it's the new year, and fishing season is close at hand (for some of us closer than for others), it's time to decide what technique you are either going to learn or master this year. Since all of us tend to get into our 'comfort zones', where are you going to 'break out' this year.



For me, it's jig/tube fishing. Last year I concentrated on fishing soft plastics. Learned to be a pretty good worm fisherman (T-Rigs and C-Rigs). Also began to learn to fish with flukes.



I've been watching differnt shows, reading different articles, and have started practicing my flipping/pitching techniques. One this I've discovered is that when I flip/pitch, I'm moving the bait to fast. I need to slow down.



Took some time last night to pitch both a worm and a jig along the carpet in the basement. Really trying to watch the action. I've decided that I'm imparting way too much action on both the jig and worms most of the time. I'm going to slow down 'technique' more this year.



Tex

 

[Tony Payne]

1. Anything on the bottom... I have to improve my deep presentations and patience factor.



2. Spinnerbait, crankbaiting... primarily focusing on cover/control.



3. Need to learn flipping/pitching bettter... basically everything I do is a cast...

 

[Bill Corrigal]

Up here in the cold north of Canada... I am going to concentrate and how to properly pitch and flip...something that is not done alot where I fish , most people use crankbaits or tube jigs. I 've got all my samples of the Jay yelas jig and plastics that we have put out since his Classic win...I'm going to try'em...



ChampioN
http://www.berkley-fishing.com/new/story.cfm?WhatsNewId=118&Position=42

 

[Bill McElroy]

I'm going to work on crankbaiting this year,....use to throw them a lot when I first started bass fishing,...then I went to worms/jigs,...then soft plastics.....now i have to go back and re-learn some new crnkbt stuff...it may be the new "thing" on some of these lakes i fish....tubes and jigs are the whoop now,...but fish may be getting conditioned to them now...they still work great,...but I'd like to find something that will really work that everybody else isn't using too........especially the deep diving crnx!

Mac

 

[Mark Hofman]

Suspending jerkbaits, heavy jigs and Carolina rigged plastics, (now that I have the right kind of rod to use), and spinnerbaits. I would love to try tubes, but I'd need another tackle box. One thing at a time.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

C-rigs!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

1. Drop Shoting



2. Spinnerbaits....I gotta MAKE myself throw em'



TOXIC

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Mo, if you get out this way, I'd be happy to teach you a thing or two about jerkbaits. I like to think I'm relatively qualified to teach on them. And I'm with Toxic on the spinnerbaits. Aside from C-rigs, I need to use spinnerbaits more. I can throw them, and catch fish, but really need to learn to use them deep. Like the ledgebusters, for slow rolling.

 

[Steven Atwell]

Uh....getting my boat to go faster.



After that, I'll practice on being a patient C-rigger. I am way too impatient to utilize it well. Too many years of spinnerbaits and crankbaits I guess.............sa

 

[Mike L.]

I've heard alot on this board about Drop Shot fishing. Going to try and learn to do it!

 

[Rich D]

I am going to concentrate most if not all of my time fishing for muskie. I normally fish for them just a couple times a year and the few I have hooked have been mostly luck. This year, almost all of my efforts will be for going after them.



Rich D

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Oh Tox...what are you saying? I can't believe a guy like you isn't slingin' em' in the boat with spinnerbaits. I have learned and pretty much mastered it in the last 5 years. Don't get me wrong.. there were times of frustration and sometimes I'd just put it down for a while. I finally said to myself,"I will learn it ..durn it! I tell ya' Tox there's no better feeling when a couple inches vs.a whole bunch means fish in the boat. And I have found them Smallmouth absolutely kills em'! Oh by the way..I have not yet mastered but, have been experimenting with variations of the drop shot rig.....

TEE

 

[Texas Transplant]

Rob - took it upon myself to learn C-Rigs this past year. Watched and asked from most of my 'partners' while fishing club tourney's, but still didn't get it.



Went to the lake one day and that's all I did. Suggestion would be to pick a series of points to work, and just use a decent sized weight (1/2 oz at least), with a 12-18" leader to start.



My biggest problem was that I wasn't keeping the line taught when I reeled down. I now have it where by I can feel the weight come off the bottom, and then re-touch the bottom. Took awhile. One thing is to give the following bait time to float back down. I sometimes get in too big a hurry.



I find that the fish will sometimes hammer the bait; sometimes just swim off with it whereby it feels heavy; and other times pick it up and swim towards the boat.



Best of luck.



Tex

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

TEE,

Like Rob, I throw em and I catch fish on em but they never have been the producer for me that they have for others. I don't know if it is the confidence thing or my style of fishing but soft plastics have always been my "go to" baits. That's why I'm going to give them more water time this year (plus one of my sponsors makes them).



TOXIC

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Tex, last year Buzz and I sat on a spot loaded with fish. In fact Marke and Bob were there, it was Marke's send off to MI. We were pretty much all throwing c-rigs and getting bit, but nobody was hooking up. We couldn't figure out what we were doing wrong. We were in 40+ feet of water, so I don't know if that had an impact, but we used fireline for low stretch on the hookset to offset the deep water. I have caught a bunch of fish on c-rigs, but only in the spring in the river when my 4 year old could do it. When the chips are down and my deep water jerkin doesn't pay off, or tubes or grubs, I'd like to try c-riggin but can't get quality bites or enough to keep me fishing it. Just a matter of sticking with it like you said I suppose.

 

[James D.]

the "new" things i will concentrate on are



c-rigs



jigs



i've never caught a fish on a jig and i'm very determined to catch one this winter and fall (thanks for the tips rob). i fished tubes and lizards and brush hogs last year and really like them in the brush and timber. i had a slow day fishing and decided nothin to lose and c-rigged for about 4 hours on a real windy day. i used a brush hog and caught a 5lb bass. that made a believer out of me on the c-rig. i'm sure i've got a whole bunch more to learn on the c-rig (actually everything). i am wanting to experiment with the different weights, leader length, and lures on a c-rig as i have only tried a brush hog on about a 3 foot leader. anybody know of any books or instructional items on c-rigging?

jd

 

[Rob LaMoy]

James, get yourself out here with Bob in May, and I'll show you jig fishing like you've always dreamed. It's admittedly easy that time of year, but that's what makes it the best time to learn. You committ all that to memory so you become proficient quickly. Then when bites are slow in the summer you dig out your jig and go lunker fishing. Ask Buzz, you can run a shore line with me and inside 2-3 hours we will boat 40-50 bass on a jig and average 3-4 lbs, with the occassional 5 or 6 mixed in. It spoils me....this lake of mine.

 

[James D.]

rob - that sounds great to me. i think that you are right to catch them on something new when they are biting well to learn the technique and gain confidence. down here, i think of the jig as a "wintertime" bait and early spring time bait when the water is still cold. it makes it tuff to learn when the bites come so slow or not at all and really hard on your confidence. i am determined though, that i will catch fish on jigs this winter and spring. you are fortunate to have a lake with massive quantities of fish and be able to locate large concentrations. one or two fish an hour is doing pretty good around here (except when they are spawning, then the bite is on) on the lake i fish. i can't wait to go fishin this spring.



o yeh, thanks again for the jig tips.

jd

 

[Rob LaMoy]

James, I am lucky, but remember that luck is where preparedness meets opportunity. I wasn't always catching fish like that. There are often weekend recreational anglers on the bank getting blown away that those fish are there and they've been fishing all day and only catching a few. Maybe I take my own jig fishing for granted, but you are right, the lake is a big part of it. I could never have done as well as quick on other lakes. In fact Doug Ward saw the lethalness of the jig in my famous tires. What's nice there is you can SEE the bass and your bait. You can see how to work the jig, and how the fish respond. Try to find you some clear water to learn that. The biggest mistake I see people make is lifting their rod too much. A small twich of the rod, maybe 3-4 inches will really hop the jig. Any more is too much. Often I just shake it, making the bait kind of quiver or pulsate.

 

[Buzz Bouvier]

C-rig, and Jig & Pig..

 

[TrepMan]

Me - CATCHING fish! Any kind, any size on any bait!! With the way 2002 went, that's a TOUGH technique!!!!



Seriously, Spooning (Dan J. got me started now gotta do it more and get the feel for it) and soft plastics (got to get the bottom feel going).

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Glad YOU said it Trep and we didn't have to! LOL

 

[Craig Roberts]

Jerkbaits, soft and hard. And no comments from the peanut gallery.



Craig

 

[Rob LaMoy]

hehehehehe!

 

[James D.]

rob,



now i know that you are fortunate if you can see the fish bite your lures. the lake i fish you can't see the bottom in 2' of water. i'll keep tryin to catch one on a jig as that is one aspect of fishing i would like to learn. thanks.

jd

 

[SCOTT GARDNER]

Have any of u guys fished the new s-rig?

 

[JAMES MOORE]

Bathing beauty fishing. Need to work on my technique on picking up those bikini babes at the end of the dock. Gee's they always run when I pitch my jig in there. More practice!!!!!!!!

 

[Jeremy Boyd]

Finesse fishing I cant seem to ever have enough patience to slow down enough to do it right

 

[Staci Matheis]

I keep promising myself that I'm gonna learn to flip jigs - and then catch something on them. Ain't never happened yet!

 

[Mike Levesque]

1- Jigging, have tried on occasion over the years, never caught anything that way, I think I need to s l o w d o w n

and will take a few outings, and go alone, and ONLY bring my jigs & pigs, (otherwise I'd be oh so tempted to throw a spinnerbait or crankbait),and really want to work on learning that technique.



2- Drop Shotting, looks like something that'd really come in handy on occasion. egMike

 

[Marke Cicero]

Techniques? I wish all I had to focus on was technique's.



I have to find all new lakes and boat ramp locations....LOL

I'm with Mac on the crankbaits. It kills me to throw them because I don't have confidence.



I caught some fish last year on the c-rig and jig n' pig but am by no means and expert. As Mac mentioned, everyone in MI on St. Clair has been TUBE CRAZY for the last few years, so I'm going to focus on other techniques and show the bass something different.



I also have new electronics to learn how to use. I got the X-71 for Christmas and yesterday I bought an X-15 from one of the State Team guys for $300.



I think this year is going to be VERY educational for me.

Marke

 

[fishrmn70]

Well, mine are going to be drop-shotting, pitching jigs, and senko's. I got pretty good at worm and tube fishing this past year, but these continue to give me some problems.

 

[Tim King]

I think I am going to work on Drop-Shotting. I tried it a little bit last year and what I saw I really liked!!



James D.- You living in OK you are around some of the best jig fishing there is. Being your northern neighbor it is our bread and butter!! I have caught several fish on Skiatook on jigs and a guy a know that fishes Grand on a regular basis his go to bait there is a jig. If your water clarity at best is 2', you are on what I like to call jig water!!



Maybe we can hook up sometime this year and pitch a jig or two!!



Tim

 

[Bruce Freeman]

I am pretty happy with my Spinner baits,t-rigs and crank baits (last years project) this year it's jigs and tubes. Right now I can't even catch a cold with a jig. I like Rob's idea about finding clear water to learn..Most of the water here is like tea..Could excuse to take a trip to lake anna for a day or so..

BF

 

[Staci Matheis]

With all of us here who are looking to improve our jig/flipping techniques.....



Anyone know of a good video?



me!



(Or can I just get Rob to stop by St. Louis this summer to show me! EARLY summer, if you please, Rob! I want to have lots of time to practice!)

 

[Bill McElroy]

Scott,....I'll show you a few tricks when I see you in Sprngfld....it's easy...bring your jig rod with you and I'll customize the handle on it too....so you know it'll always be your J&P rod!! LOL

 

[Rob LaMoy]

James, remember the size of Champlain, a LOT of it is the color of coffee, especially the rivers. But other spots are gin clear, and these spots can sometimes only be a few miles apart. When I'm trying a new bait and want to perfect the action I'm trying to present, I go to clear, shallow water and play around until I get it. Often times, I have spots, like my tires, that are clear but also LOADED with fish, so I can watch how the fish respond to each and everything I do with the rod and bait. Then I go back to the off colored water and imitate what I had to do to get bit in clear water. Often it takes less finesse in the murky water because it's murky. If you can make them bite a jig, (motionless bait on the bottom where they get a good hard look at it) in clear water, then you're golden in stained water. I promise....this year, I will make a short little home video on how I trim my jigs, tie them on, trailer, how to work them, etc. My camcorder is 8mm, so I will have to switch it over. I will see if Buzz or Bob will tape for me. Then we can ship around like Scotts drill bit, and it can be community property. Your only expense will be shipping it to the next person.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Rob,



Count me in, I could always stand to refine my skills. I always thought that if you could work a tube you were pretty much set for J&P. I don't treat them a whole lot different. I hang with tubes more because I feel I have more options in the way that I work them. It's usually not to productive to swim a J&P but you can a tube as well as skittering it across the top and twitching it like a jerkbait.



TOXIC

 

[James D.]

Tim - you mean i'm living close to really good jig water - that's cool! skiatook and grand i hear are really good lakes but they are 2-3 hrs drive, so i fish a smaller 1,100 acre lake. It would be good to get together sometime and flip some jigs. I use the tubes a lot tx rigged and do pretty well when i can locate them. just havn't been bit on a jig - YET!



Rob, the video thing would be good. maybe as technology changes it could be posted on the site as something that could be downloaded. otherwise, sign me up!

jd

 

[Bob G.]

Rob,



I'll gladly tape the master at work with your camcorder!!



Bob G.