Never have any luck, what am I doing wrong?

[pleace]

Hey guys, I've recently started to develop quite a passion for fishing, but i almost never manage to catch anything. I always fish from a canoe with my dad(who is also inexperienced). I do so much research on what to use and how to fish, and i learn so much but it hasn't helped yet. For example, two weeks ago me and my dad went out to rice lake in the afternoon/evening to attempt to catch some bass and to our knowledge we did not get a single bite!

I'm going to explain what we did, and hopefully you guys can give some feedback/tips. We launched the canoe in Bewdley and decided to first try fishing some of the shorelines, so we paddled over to the southeastern bewdley shoreline . We fished this shoreline for a while constantly looking for cover, and fallen logs,etc. On the shoreline we were both using Texas rigged Berkley Worms(darker coloured with the curly tail at the end) and my technique was to: cast the worm, let it sink to the ground,wait a second or two, then slowly hop it along the ground a few times, and then reel it back in. We tried this for quite awhile, going up and down the shoreline(I also tried a topwater jitterbug along the shore). Since we got no bites, we figured maybe the water was a bit too shallow along that shoreline and decided to try a different spot. We then moved towards the centre of the lake, where the water was quite a bit deeper and my dad was still using the texas rigged worm. I tried something different because i wasnt sure if the texas rigged worm was good for that depth. There were way too many weeds to use a crankbait(sometimes the weeds reached all the way up to the surface), i figured i would just get snagged every single cast. So i tried a dark plastic skirt jig and a spinnerbait. My technique for the jig was very similar to my technique with the texas rigged worm (i.e let it fall and hop it on the bottom). For the spinnerbait, i would just cast out, wait a second or two, and just reel it back in at a medium speed. Tried these two for a few hours, no bites at all.

Ok guys, what am I doing wrong? I saw these two other guys in a canoe that same day, and they had like 3 Bass with them. I'm trying really hard to learn how to fish, but i just need some advice. Also, I'm going out fishing again with my dad this weekend and we want to try another lake for bass fishing in our canoe. We're near Toronto and willing go even farther than rice lake if its worth it, any suggestions on some good lakes(I understand if you don't want to post about a good lake, but i would really appreciate some general lake advice maybe in a PM). Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[pleace]

Whoops, somehow managed to post this three times and i dont know how to delete a thread. Really sorry about this guys.

 

[Tyler0420]

Keep putting in the time and you will get rewarded. Maybe try some live bait (worms minnows leaches) good luck and keep fishing.

 

[instapump416]

Maybe try live worms under a float first? Once you start catching them at a location, try using other methods in hooking them?

I have lots of frustrating days when fishing for bass. This year I'm trying to learn how to use hardbaits and plastics for bass (no more worms).

Don't give up and just keep learning and apply it to your net trip.

 

[azppp]

not doing anything wrong, but small adjustments to what you're doing is the key to fishing success. Covering water is also success, got to first FIND the fish then you can FISH for them.

In other words keep fishing, putting time on the water, and you'll learn and be rewarded. Not as hard as you think. Hard to write it down how to be a successful fisherman, just have to go experience it first hand yourself.

 

[Cyphus]

I agree with AZP and Tyler0420, doesn't seem like you're doing anything wrong, just keep at it.

That being said, if you wanna catch bass, you're more than likely going to find them in or around that weedbed. There are a lot of places bass like to hang out; around weedbeds, clumps of brush and sunken trees, rock piles, tall grasses, drop offs. But they loooove those weedbeds.

As you said, crank baits will get snagged in the weeds a fair bit, if you're gonna throw them try and throw them just outside the edge of the weedbed, the fish will dart out and bite them. Huskie Jerks, Rattle Traps, Shads all work well.

Throwing that spinner bait was a good idea, next time launch it right over the weedbed and reel it back to you through the weeds. Spinnerbaits are actually weedless, the blades push all the weeds to the sides as they spin and bass love them. the same is true for spinners like mepps agila long and blue fox spinners. Both spinners and spinnerbaits have a lot of flash and they make a tonne of noise fish love them. I catch a lot of fish on both, don't be surprised if pike smash them too.

If the fish are slow, and not biting (especially right after season opener) try a simple drop shot rig with something like an X-Trigger Slammer, or a KVD Caffiene Dream Shot. Real leaches work especially well for this, it's almost disgusting how well they work actually. Worms work alright, but not as well. Drop it down in the weeds and let the weight sit on the bottom, then very lightly move the tip of your rod, it'll make the lure flutter and it'll get smashed by something. If you have a fish finder and you can see the depth the fish are at, you can try lowering the drop shot rig down to somewhere near that height.

There is a world of different techniques to try and experiment with, all with varying success rates, but those three are the most common and easiest ways to be successful outside of dropping a worm on a bobber (which I would argue isn't that successful at all). No matter what you're doing, just keep at it, do some research and try new things!

 

[tcp]

I have days,sometimes weeks, where Im blanking, i consider selling all my gear and quiting fishing,its so very frustrating. Then other days and weeks, Im smashing it up, catching monsters. Such is fishing, else it would be called catching. If i was always catching huge fish every single time, it might get boring, the challenge is what drives my addiction to fishing.

As the others have said, you are doing all the right stuff, just gotta keep at it. Keep reading more stuff, different techniques and dont be afraid to try, experiment. But ya, your doing the right stuff, sounds like you know what your doing already.

Rice is a good lake, any of the kawarthas would be good to try out on the canoe for bass. Im actually headed to rice for a week long trip next week, hoping to catch loads of bass and some musky on my fly rod. Im about to start a topic asking for help right now in regards to bait fish in the lake so that I can tie up the proper patterns.

 

[cptpronin]

Don't get discouraged.

The key to good fishing is having confidence in what you are doing. Sounds like you have done your homework, so pick a lure that is right for the conditions, fish it like a boss and it will happen.

Things that can help: don't fish the same area too long if no bites. Casting to one spot is like saying 'knock knock, girl scout cookies'. If the fish is home and hungry, he'll answer. If you keep knocking the same spot, the fish won't answer.

Best thing to do in any condition is let your canoe drift along the spots with potential and just keep casting until you hook up. Then drop anchor and see if there are any more fish there. If the bite stops, raise anchor and continue your drift.

If you need a bit more confidence in the bite, try fishing between 3pm and sundown. Bass like most fish tend to get spooky when the sun is high.

Good luck

 

[salmotrutta]

Bring live bait next time, worms are the simplest and very effective.

No need for a bobber or weights. Just thread the worm onto your hook and cast it out. Let the worm sink, and move it around as needed. You'll know if you have a fish because either you'll see it hit, or you will see your line start to peel. Close your bail and reel in!

If nothing bites within a few seconds of your cast, reel in the worm (many times fish will strike while it's being reeled in so pay attention to this), and recast. Depending on the spot - it may take several casts before a fish bothers to go for your worm. Be patient. If nothing comes, try a different spot.

I am not a big fan of bobbers.

And as others have mentioned - it sounds like you're doing everything right - the #'s won't always be there - especially on pressured lakes. And there's subtle things you will pick up over time with more fishing experience. In time you will find which techniques work best for you, which spots, time of day, etc.

When I guide - I always guarantee fish - and I back up my guarantee by offering another free outing if we get skunked. Most full-time guides don't guarantee fish. And guides basically live on the water. So unless you're fishing spots that you *know* will produce - there's no guarantee of catching what you're after.

 

[petergriffin]

All excellent advice given here. Just my two cents, once you find the weedy spots, I've had a lot of luck with texas rigging soft plastic worms. And just slowly dragging them along the bottom. 6" to 10" worms work best. The bass in my profile pic, I caught with a slip bobber, jig-head and worm. No joke

And one more thing, it's calling "fishing", not "catching". Enjoy that time you're having with your dad, that's more valuable than any fish you can catch