FS Digest

Before I start, I mainly fish NC lakes specifically Jordan and Harris, and have been using a kayak there for over a year now.

My dilemma is that in the last 2 to 3 months I have quite literally not caught a thing, fortunately my love for the sport keeps encouraging me to go back out and try. I have talked to others, done tons of research, and pretty much anything I can to at least catch a fish😂. I have tried every bait imaginable from Carolina rigs to jitter bugs to spinner and crank baits.

Today I went out and fished a bridge with a deep channel running under it and got a bite which right now was huge progress. I don’t know what I am doing wrong and was wondering what the experts had to say about it.

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by gotta_kach_em_all

FS Digest

There's a lot of factors that go into fishing, and how to successfully catch fish. Weather, time of day, temperature, what part of the season its in, what baits you're using (you said you've tried mostly everything), what type of cover you're fishing, etc. I think if you provide more information people might be able to give you more specific help.

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by UraniumCookies

FS Digest

I have fished the Carolina rig on rock flats 8 to 12 ft deep, and fished jitter bugs on causeway rip rap and islands, most of my fishing is centered around bays or points and drop offs if it is not a Carolina rig

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by gotta_kach_em_all

FS Digest

I would focus on structure. Bass love to hide out near structure and also hide from the sun on hot summer days. Try covering water and trying different cover, points, ledges, grass, etc. until you can figure out where they’re hanging out.

When the bite is tough slow it down and shrink it down: fineness baits and smaller. My go-to bait in general but especially when the bite is tough is a ned rig. It catches numbers and it can catch monsters believe it or not. But any fineness bait is a good call. And work it slowly. Jump it a few times and let it sink and sit for 15 seconds or longer. Then hop it again. Don’t make them chase it to the boat.

I would also try early in the morning or right at last light. Fish can get lethargic in the middle of the day when the sun has heated the water and the O2 levels fall. A top water frog at very first light is my favorite way to catch bass.

And then more than anything just remember that the more casts you throw and the more time your bait is in the water, the more your chances of hooking up with one go up. Can’t catch a fish with your lure out of the water. It’s a numbers game.

Keep your chin up and stay diligent. The bass gods will honor your labors 🙏🏼

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by Brogan_okie

FS Digest

My go-to when times are slow is a WEIGHTLESS Texas rigged stick bait fished slowly in or along heavy cover (like weeds, trees, or docks).

It takes a lot of patience to do it right because it's a very slow fishing style. But when nothing else works, I can usually get a fish or two.

My technique is cast, let the lure fall for 10 to 15 seconds and then give it a pull for one "rod length." Then I'll wait another 10ish seconds and pull again.

Repeat 4 or 5 times and then reel it in and go again. 75% of the time, the bite comes on the initial fall, so make sure to keep the line tight as it falls.

As you learn the technique you can vary the fall time and length of pull to attract the bite. Sometimes quick pulls works well, other times a slower pull or longer fall time with little taps...

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by huskrfreak88

Whitecat Loc: Mt Pleasant, Michigan

Minnows, crickets, and worms is the overall way to catch fish in freshwater... Although I fly fish now-a-days, the just mentioned three baits always seem to somehow work. That is of course, your chosen body of water is not located somewhere in the Sahara Desert. :)

Best Regards and Good Luck!
Fred Williams

Garry Loc: Wellborn, Florida

50 some years ago, fishing with my Granddaddy we had fished hard all morning with not even a strike. Then I cast a big ole plastic worm with a weedless hook, same bait I'd used all day. Granddaddy had tied the boat to a stobb and broke out the sardines and crackers. He handed me a can and some crackers and I lay my rod down while I ate, when I was done eating I picked up my rod and closed the bail and slowly tightened the line about the time the bait moved it was slammed by a six pound bass. Using the same method, I mean letting the bait sit for what seemed like forever, I caught two more about the same size and had a much larger one go under the boat and break off. Go slow real slow.

Big A Loc: Mesa, Arizona

As noted by 'Whitecat', live baits often work well when artificials fail ! A fat, juicy 'crawler', live cricket or grasshopper, small frog or a lively 'crawdad' are often more enticing to fish (especially bass) than rubber worms, grubs, crankbaits, etc. ! Also, fishing depth is often critical and/or species specific, as are weather and light conditions; e.g. -
catfish are usually bottom feeders, whereas bass may be almost anywhere in the water column depending on time of day, bright sunlight, overcast, wind, and myriad other reasons, so place your bait accordingly!

Dworm

Bass like bacon like an uncle josh #11 pork rind on a skirted jig, brown w/ orange works well for me fish it painfully slow

Cheryl

I have the same problem in fishing. Sometimes I am feeding the fish as the meal worms seem to be slowly devoured a bit at a time from the bluegills. Corn will work with the smallest bobber and smallest hook you can find. Now I just need to learn how to catch the bigger ones.

Hollywood Loc: Ohio

Fishhunter73

I have fished for my entire life. During that time of course my methods have evolved. Sometimes with great victories and other days the inevitable skunk. But the one constant has always been that l love catching fish. It doesn’t matter if it’s a feisty bluegill or a 5lb largemouth. You can specifically target bass and fish hard all day and get a couple of bites and that’s it. I prefer to bass fish at the most productive times of the day. Then I pull out a Joe’s Fly and throw it and I guarantee you’ll catch fish. I’ve caught everything from bluegill to catfish on one. On a light rod the fights are great. My wife has caught a 6lb channel cat on a Joe’s fly. The key is we’re always catching fish. So chase your target fish and then if the action gets slow start throwing a Joe’s. I’ve caught lots of bass on it too.

Hollywood Loc: Ohio

Good morning!
It is with humility that I offer some thoughts about our passion for fishing. The real challenge of fishing is not the “technical information”. Meaning, the type of bait, location, time of day, water color, oxygen content, type of line, reel ratio, rod lengths and power, boat positioning, graphics, trolling speeds, etc. All of these are very important aspects of fishing but there is a crucial part of fishing that some of us may be overlooking. From what I have read, this website offers you availability to extremely knowledgeable fisherman who are more than eager to share their knowledge and experience! All this is at your disposal to learn which I whole heartedly encourage. I hope to add to this information that you are learning.
The most important part of fishing is you! Fishing is all about the the detail, the smallest of things. The subtle changes that you make while you fish can and will give you the results you are looking for. This approach requires focus and dedication. If you have the passion for fishing, this approach is a bit easier but it does not mean that it is easy!
Soon after I retired I experienced something profound in my fishing. It was so profound that I told my wife that I wanted to live the life of a fisherman. My wife’s response was, “Oh lord! Whatever you do, don’t tell my mother that!” Lol.
As I continued fishing I realized that all that I have learned and experienced in the last 50 plus years of fishing, I was not achieving the results I was looking for.
Have you ever fished with a friend using the same bait, same area and equivalent gear and that friend was catching fish while you kept casting with no catches to your credit? The reason for this is the absence of you making subtle adjustments in your presentation... this requires focus. Be aware of what you are doing and adjust. Earlier one of the members advised you to slow down...great advice! That advice could mean slow your retrieval, most often it means slow down your thinking and focus on what you are doing. I will quote a statement I heard on western movie...”slow down and you will have a more harmonious outcome”.
If you concentrate on being aware of your fishing location, your presentation, and your thoughts, you will find the harmony
of successful fishing you are looking for.
... fishing is all about you.

Garry Loc: Wellborn, Florida

You need to talk to the people at the local bait and tackle shops, they want you to catch fish so that you'll keep fishing and come back with your business and spend your money with them. They Know what baits work in their area and don't mind giving you pointers. You can also hire a guide for a day or two. Learn who the guides and successful fishermen are on a lake and take note of where they are while your fishing. Don't crowd them on the water but take note of the areas they are fishing, what is there to hold fish and so on. Talk to them at the docks, they will almost certainly be tighter mouthed than the bait shop owner but you can learn from them.