notes, notes and more notes
riverrat hit the bullseye, nothing beats time on the water, nothing. i will go one step further and say nothing beats time spent LEARNING on the water. guys like dave stewart, riverrat chuck and some very close friends that are some of the best guides in the state all have one thing in common....they have learned to eliminate the things that normally dont work and concentrate on the very precise , productive activity that they have learned. ive kept notes for over 30 years, i have changed what data i looked for over the years, but probably the one thing that changed my notes more than anything was to include how the fish actually bit using a scale from soft reluctant bites to jerk the rod out of your hand with the hook buried in the gullet.
i always feel like its very difficult to catch another anglers fish without him in the boat, so youtube videos dont really do much for me other than maybe just pointing me in the right direction.
Follow up and maybe some help
I posted this question several weeks ago and wanted to come back and give an update. I might get laughed off the board but here goes. I TOTALLY AGREE that the number one way to get better at bass fishing is to get on the water and figure stuff out!! BUT if you do everything in the off-season you can do to increase your odds or better yet confidence, you might have a better chance of figuring it out on the water when you do go fishing. I spent the last weekend in Indiana attending BASS UNIVERSITY seminar. The seminar was very informative, but the basstv is also very informative and hopefully beneficial. Keep in mind I am a total redneck nerd. I put together spread sheets and track ph, water temp, water color, barometric pressure, lunar tables, etc... I research crawfish and shad lifecycle and migration patterns. I really do try to do my homework. This is the kind of “fishing knowledge” I was trying to expand upon, but keep in mind... I am still a terrible fisherman, though educated... terrible! LOL! I think the fishing logs and the hiring of a guide is probably the MOST important in increasing your knowledge, but I just can’t afford to hire a guide 5 times a year even though I really want to!! Good luck and tight lines!