Northwest Fishing Reports

everyone has a so called crutch, a mr i will tie you on when i need a fish, and something that works. the question is how well does it work?

i find it quite amusing when people use the same method over, and over... AND OVER - but yet expect different or better results. if method X has gotten you Y results consistently, what would make you believe it would get you to Z. your methods maybe working, but is it really getting the results you are wanting it to produce? yes there will be some anomalies, but one can argue its validity. just because there may be a few deviations from the expected path, it doesnt substantiate your findings.


here is my analogy: i play competitive baseball, and since day one have been a leadoff batter [i actually refuse to bat anywhere else in the lineup, unless i choose who bats behind me]. i have always done well as leadoff, and have a high on base percentage - much higher than normal. naturally i have been a right handed pull hitter, and usually am the fastest on the team. i use my 2 tools - pulling the ball and speed to my advantage, as it would consistently put me on base. as a leadoff batter, it is my job to get on. ideally, it would be better to be at 2nd base rather than 1st. though time after time, i would always end up on 1st [Y results], rather than 2nd [Z results]. in the right conditions, with the right people behind me in the lineup, its pretty much a given that i will score. then again, there would be a rare occasion when i would burn the fielder [anomaly], capitalize on a less than perfect throw, and end up on 2nd base [which would solidify me a run scored].

over the years, pulling the ball down the 3rd baseline became my crutch. it did work, and practically guaranteed my place on 1st, but being on 1st didnt guarantee a run scored - being on 2nd did. even though i got positive results, i really wasnt getting what i really wanted. so rather than shoot for a 2bagger, i always forced the situation and settled for a single - as it was working for me. as the games passed, and the seasons went by, the opposing teams conditioned themselves to my style of hitting. in turn, they played a big shift on me, forcing all their players to the left side of the diamond, leaving a large gap on the right side. being really fast, they couldnt really stop me from getting on base. to ultimately have a shot, the 3rd baseman would have to field the ball cleanly, and have a strong throwing arm to even throw me out. yet, i still pushed the envelope and pulled the ball down the line, and placed a bet on my speed. 9 out of 10 times this would work.

statistically on paper and to the naked eye - what im doing is working, but that depending on which way you looked at it. if i really dug down deep, and checked my stats on RS [runs scored], i would see that i wasnt really scoring. you see, its not only my job to get on base, but also to score. getting on 1st could be quite the feat, depending on what type of spin you put in the story. getting on 1st increased my individual stats, but is meaningless if we do not win.

as a well established pull hitter, its not easy going to the opposite field. if there was the slightest thought of me failing, i would. the mental aspect was my biggest hurdle. i knew i could do it, and have done it many times before - but my mind would always tell me i cant, and doing it in a real game was even harder due to the pressure. so naturally i always failed at hitting that huge right side hole they gave me. having that innate competitive edge, i drove myself to learn that one thing that i feared the most.

ive always dreaded trying something that was not the norm for me [which most anglers do]. more often than not, i would settle for old faithful [pull the ball], and be satisfied being on 1st [again which most anglers do]. so as push came to shove, and being at 1st didnt satisfy my competitive edge, i knew it was time to actually try a different approach. the other teams would dare me, and look me straight in the eyes and put their shift on. basically telling me 'we know you CANT hit it here, so we wont even play that part of the field'. what erks me even more, is when someone tells me i cant do this, or a i cant do that.

so i took lil cdn baby steps EH, and set small goals for me to achieve. every game, every practice i made it a priority to go to the opposite field, and get on base [be it 1st or 2nd]. without any goals, you really dont have any direction. with no direction - do you really know where you are headed? every game, every at bat i gained a lil more confidence and slowly became fearless of failure i once again.

so ask yourself this: if you can accomplish the lesser with no changes, or achieve the greater with some changes [over time of course], which would you choose? some people making fishing harder than it looks, and give themselves the shorter end of the stick even before the race starts. an excuse is what every angler has, so please tell me what yours is, and what you CAN'T do. i will tell you this: simply put, an excuse has nothing to do with ones ability, but is merely the lack of preparation. i for one used my 'success' [at the time] as my excuse, but in reality i feared option B and failure.

some people look at their position - point A. they see their destination as point Z. they take a step back, and look at the great distance between A to Z. that alone will deter of people of completing such a feat, yet they fail to realize that B through Y are small milestones within the trip itself.


... and so to finish up my story, at the end of last season after many years of always pulling the ball, i finally learned how to go to the opposite field and get into scoring position. in turn, i forced the opposing team to play me straight up, and they can no longer play any type of shift on me. i still bat leadoff, but no longer settle for just being on 1st.


... and when at bat, if i go down, i will go down swinging.

Great read T-Dizzle,..hey Travis plays competive ball 2,..just an FYI,..I like your thoughts bro,.."A Crutch is something one uses when one is injured",..so if you're not in pain,..play outside your comfort zone and don't just settle for what you already know you can do,..test yourself,..this applies 2 LIFE and of course BASSIN!

BB

Yep, you fix it. It's called an addiction. To become better at bass fishing when what your doing is already getting some results. That's the beauty of fishing. Taking all the pieces of the puzzle that day and putting them together to produce fish. If you limit yourself to dropshotting all the time, because it does produce some fish for you, then hey good for you. But don't complain back at the the dock that guys are beating you out on the water. You have to have a mind set of always fishing new water and fishing new techniques if you want to become better. Not to mention to equipment. I call it brand loyalty and manufactures of products love people who are brand loyal. Don't be afaid of trying new equipment either, lines, hooks, swivels, weights, tackle boxes, all are part of our tools we use to produce bites. So when the bite is on with your favorite crutch, I mean bait, that is the time to break out new lures or techniques. Learn how to skip a chatterbait under a dock and see what results you get. Throw a deep diving crank and fish it along weed lines in 20ft of water. Throw a swimjig thru scatter milfoil patches, etc.

Mark
Powell rods
West Coast Custom Tackle
Auburn Sports and Marine

Amen, Brother!!!

Great reply Mark!

BB

What? I have an addiction? Laughs. I agree with all that has been said. I am just starting out in this and thankfully almost everything is new. It is difficult when on the water and maybe not catching anything to say ... okay I am going back to the senko ... but I know I am trying to get better and throw the jig again as I try not to listen to all the voices in my head to sling the plastic.

Louie you should right a book, this thread is already about 5 chapters =)

But how would i know, since i only read the first 5 words the click reply hehe

T dot and mark both make excellent points !!

Great replies yal. Man T-dot, you and TravisRush should be best friends, baseball playin fools you are.

Yep. the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Paraphrased from Albert Einstein.

LOL, first, I felt your pain, right from the start. I use to play some competitive ball myself, 30 years ago. My knees hurt just reading your post. My shoulder is starting to hurt now as I think more about this, so if my post reads poorly, it's your fault.

But, unlike you, I loved to mess with the opposite team. My coaches use to get frustrated with me picking holes in the defense. I would sometimes foul off a couple down one base line just to set up a hit down the other. At one time, I could hit a fast ball to within 10 yards of a pie plate placed anyway on the field, during practice of course. But, not once did I ever hit a home run, I never even tried. So, I guess, like you, I too got stuck into a rut. I was good, but I would never have been considered great. How could I be, my power was non-existent, because I never tested it or even considered testing it.

You got me thinking about fishing. I am pretty good, mostly because I do not stick with just one method. In fact, I have different fishing friends, some I take if I am going trolling or jigging for walleye, different ones when I am going fly fishing for Cutts in North Idaho, and ........................ well, you get the point. I have always had a goal, to learn one thing new, try one thing different, every time I go fishing. But because I try to be versatile, I don't spend a lot of time trying to be the best ant any one thing. Always got to change things up.

Just like you, I never tried for the home run; I wonder what I have been afraid to try in fishing? What "home run" have I been afraid of going for? You got me thinking now, and just before the weekend.:bounce:

This is topic is especially relevant when it comes to bass fishing. Some people think fish are dumb. I disagree. Obviously they aren't as smart as humans, but they do learn from their mistakes. Catch & release is something we do to enjoy the sport while preserving the resource. Bass don't know anything about catch & release, so they experience it as a life & death struggle. From a human perspective, catch & release would be the equivalent of being chased & tackled by a grizzly bear, but the bear wasn't hungry so it lost interest and walked away. Would you remember that?

So what's the point?

I believe that bass remember everything about their "near death" experience and try not to make the same mistake twice. By the time a bass weighs 4+ lbs, it's probably been fooled by several different lures. That's probably one of the reasons they are so hard to catch. There's no way to know how many times BIG bass have approached a lure, then turned away because they recognized it.

On an episode of Bass Pros, Rick Clunn was talking about rattles and he made an interesting comment. I don't have the exact quote, but it was basically: "Find out what everyone else is using, then use something different". Although he was only talking about rattles, his advice is probably just as applicable when it comes to scent and presentation technique.


What do you think?

HillbillyGeek wrote:This is topic is especially relevant when it comes to bass fishing. Some people think fish are dumb. I disagree. Obviously they aren't as smart as humans, but they do learn from their mistakes. Catch & release is something we do to enjoy the sport while preserving the resource. Bass don't know anything about catch & release, so they experience it as a life & death struggle. From a human perspective, catch & release would be the equivalent of being chased & tackled by a grizzly bear, but the bear wasn't hungry so it lost interest and walked away. Would you remember that?

So what's the point?

I believe that bass remember everything about their "near death" experience and try not to make the same mistake twice. By the time a bass weighs 4+ lbs, it's probably been fooled by several different lures. That's probably one of the reasons they are so hard to catch. There's no way to know how many times BIG bass have approached a lure, then turned away because they recognized it.

On an episode of Bass Pros, Rick Clunn was talking about rattles and he made an interesting comment. I don't have the exact quote, but it was basically: "Find out what everyone else is using, then use something different". Although he was only talking about rattles, his advice is probably just as applicable when it comes to scent and presentation technique.


What do you think?

Very well stated, and it is important for more then just Bass. "Find out what everyone else is using, then use something different" is good advice for all fishing.

I make my own lures for Rock Lake Browns for that very reason. Sure, other lures swim better, look better, cast better, but mine don't look like anyone else's lures. Mostly because most would not be caught dead using something that looks so unprofessional.

I couldn't agree more with the last couple posts. I am a firm believer in giving the fish a completely different look and trying to constantly stay ahead of the latest trends. As soon as a bait or technique becomes popular and mainstream, I will usually ditch it in favor of something new and different. There are always the old standbys that will produce in the right situations, but I am constantly experimenting with new baits and ways to fish them. Hopefully, by the time the cat gets out of the bag I am on to something else.

My best advice is when you go into a tackle store or talk to other anglers and determine what the "hot" colors and "hot" baits are for a particular body of water, don't get sucked into the trap that so many anglers fall into. Many bass fishermen rely so heavily on outside information and doing what they think everyone else is doing. Don't be afraid to constantly experiment with different baits, colors and techniques. You will quickly improve as an angler and develop your own style and, consequently, a tremendous amount of confidence when you discover new patterns on your own.

At a couple of the lakes up here, I catch most of my big smallmouth in July through September from the surface to 30 feet down suspended over 60 to 200 feet of water. I tell most of the guys about this bite and I still have it to myself. You never know what you'll discover when you think outside the box and venture away from the clone mentality (AKA the Senko Trap)

Good luck!

I agree with what's been said as well. I've seen too many times where someone saw Bill Dance using this or the Classic winner using that and never moving away from that. Like Tag said...aka the Senko trap. Could be any bait tho. I quit getting wrapped up in the "one bait syndrome" some time back. I've even gone to the point of taking just one bait i.e. jigs, or a spinnerbait, and nothing else to become proficient and more versatile down the road. The game changes by the hour and you just can't limit yourself to a "crutch" Ya gotta experiment, and use that info and make adjustments. Don't be afraid to change it up. It's what keeps me doing it. So many variables and it's never the same.