Why I avoid hardcore bass fisherman

I had a neighbor a few years ago who was a hardcore bass fisherman. He had the 80k boat and 20k invested in equipment. He fished tournaments just about every weekend. He knew I loved to fish but i'm much of a casting all day kind of guy. We went on a few trips together and I thought I would share my experience. Our first trip was in his boat. We were going to crappie meat haul run. Because of his tournament fishing background every spot we fished was extremely fast. We would hit one spot and fish no more than 5 minutes before moving again and again. I was like everything he did was in hyper drive. The second time we went in his boat again. This time we went bass fishing. While fishing one spot fish started tearing into shad 30 yards from the boat. We troll on over and started catching 3-6lb hybrids on every cast. It was truly awesome. To my horror he cranked up the big engine and started hauling butt across the lake. I asking what was he doing and he said we are here to catch bass. I just shook my head in disbelief. Nothing against serious bass fisherman but I learned a lesson that day. I will fish for whatever is biting and I am in no rush to do it. I see why some hardcore bass guys turn to other species. You have to be built different to fish with a hardcore bass guy.

Sounds too much like work

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Sounds too much like work

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Exactly why I quit fishing Bass tournaments in the 2nd year I tried them. (and that was back in the early 1970's ;) )

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Sounds too much like work

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I feel you!
Once I was fishing from a quiet little dock when someone walked up and asked what bait I was using... I pulled up my empty and bare hook. He said you won't catch anything like that!. I said "exactly!"

When its too much work I am not enjoying myself. to each their own. :fish

Fishing can easily become like work if you let it, I try to not let it.

During the summer I only crappie fish when I am not deck surfing. :Rofl. I do keep the fishing pole in my hand for balance:biggrin

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

Sounds too much like work

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:hesaidExactly. That’s actually pretty sad. To each their own.
Bob

There are very few people I fish with. I prefer to fish alone…although I must admit at age 70 I do enjoy the help of launching and retrieving. The reason is pretty much as you describe…but in my case there is a little more to it. I am strictly an finesse UL angler. I have had quite a few ask me to show them my technique of fishing the Trout Magnet. They ask what setup they should bring and I tell them…an UL setup with 2# test line. Only a couple show up with that setup. Then they proceed to catch no fish as more often than not the line they are using is way too big and takes what little action the TM has away. I am up front catching fish and they are catching nothing…they are miserable and I am miserable as I really would very much enjoy that they catch a ton of fish. My late nephew…who was a fantastic fisherman and a guide on Dale Hollow….would offer to take me out and I would be miserable. He would be throwing heavy stuff up front…moving at the speed of light, and I literally could not keep my 1/64 jig in the water. He eventually sold his boat, bought into UL angling and we had a ball together after that fishing together until he passed. When I turn folks down who ask me to take them out many think I am arrogant or too good to fish with them. But I explain why it will not work. For the few I now fish with all is well…we are on the same sheet of music with gear, and style of fishing.

Regards


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My dock shooting buddy complained about getting used water as I was in the front of the boat. The next dock I switched seats with him. Kept the remote to the trolling motor. We fished that dock in reverse. He had a few names to call me. All in good fun

I fish with 2 or 3 people in my friend group. Most ppl ask to learn or go on trips and bail the day of....

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I’m just too slow for any of that stuff. I got tired reading your post! LOL

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Originally Posted by Grainraiser

I had a neighbor a few years ago who was a hardcore bass fisherman. He had the 80k boat and 20k invested in equipment. He fished tournaments just about every weekend. He knew I loved to fish but i'm much of a casting all day kind of guy. We went on a few trips together and I thought I would share my experience. Our first trip was in his boat. We were going to crappie meat haul run. Because of his tournament fishing background every spot we fished was extremely fast. We would hit one spot and fish no more than 5 minutes before moving again and again. I was like everything he did was in hyper drive. The second time we went in his boat again. This time we went bass fishing. While fishing one spot fish started tearing into shad 30 yards from the boat. We troll on over and started catching 3-6lb hybrids on every cast. It was truly awesome. To my horror he cranked up the big engine and started hauling butt across the lake. I asking what was he doing and he said we are here to catch bass. I just shook my head in disbelief. Nothing against serious bass fisherman but I learned a lesson that day. I will fish for whatever is biting and I am in no rush to do it. I see why some hardcore bass guys turn to other species. You have to be built different to fish with a hardcore bass guy.

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Hardcore tournament bass fishermen fish with one thing in mind and that is bragging rights in their tournaments. I am not surprised he would pick up and leave if he is catching hybrids. The thing is, even if they start catching bass, they are still going to pick up and leave because they will want to save the spot if they have a tournament coming up. They are also very protective of the spots they like to fish and are not likely to take you to any of those. Most of the time when you fish with one of them when they are just scouting it is just like you describe, hit as many places as they can and don't stay in any spot very long. I have a few I fish with occasionally and I just accept that is the way it will be and I try to help by fishing something they are not to see if it might work and maybe fishing in a bit different spots.

I fish Crappie Tournaments and see the Bass tournament guys running and gunning all over the lake. Going this way, then that way, this way, that way, time and time again... I swear they would catch more fish if they just slowed down stayed in one place more than 2 casts.

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Originally Posted by Grainraiser

I had a neighbor a few years ago who was a hardcore bass fisherman. He had the 80k boat and 20k invested in equipment. He fished tournaments just about every weekend. He knew I loved to fish but i'm much of a casting all day kind of guy. We went on a few trips together and I thought I would share my experience. Our first trip was in his boat. We were going to crappie meat haul run. Because of his tournament fishing background every spot we fished was extremely fast. We would hit one spot and fish no more than 5 minutes before moving again and again. I was like everything he did was in hyper drive. The second time we went in his boat again. This time we went bass fishing. While fishing one spot fish started tearing into shad 30 yards from the boat. We troll on over and started catching 3-6lb hybrids on every cast. It was truly awesome. To my horror he cranked up the big engine and started hauling butt across the lake. I asking what was he doing and he said we are here to catch bass. I just shook my head in disbelief. Nothing against serious bass fisherman but I learned a lesson that day. I will fish for whatever is biting and I am in no rush to do it. I see why some hardcore bass guys turn to other species. You have to be built different to fish with a hardcore bass guy.

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Would rather fish with you than him

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Originally Posted by Alphahawk

There are very few people I fish with. I prefer to fish alone…although I must admit at age 70 I do enjoy the help of launching and retrieving. The reason is pretty much as you describe…but in my case there is a little more to it. I am strictly an finesse UL angler. I have had quite a few ask me to show them my technique of fishing the Trout Magnet. They ask what setup they should bring and I tell them…an UL setup with 2# test line. Only a couple show up with that setup. Then they proceed to catch no fish as more often than not the line they are using is way too big and takes what little action the TM has away. I am up front catching fish and they are catching nothing…they are miserable and I am miserable as I really would very much enjoy that they catch a ton of fish. My late nephew…who was a fantastic fisherman and a guide on Dale Hollow….would offer to take me out and I would be miserable. He would be throwing heavy stuff up front…moving at the speed of light, and I literally could not keep my 1/64 jig in the water. He eventually sold his boat, bought into UL angling and we had a ball together after that fishing together until he passed. When I turn folks down who ask me to take them out many think I am arrogant or too good to fish with them. But I explain why it will not work. For the few I now fish with all is well…we are on the same sheet of music with gear, and style of fishing.

Regards


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

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I get it

Another thing you might not want to do - when you catch a couple of nice sized bass for dinner you DON'T WANT TO TELL A BASS FISHERMAN or show them to them. I did that 1 time and I didn't know there were so many nice names a person could have in their vocabulary !! :Rofl

I usually fish alone. Longlinning or dock shooting. I do bass fish occasionally and have a lot of bass gear but again I fish by myself. At my age and physical condition I could probably use some help launching or loading the boat but I would prefer to do it alone.

serious anglers after just one species often get disgruntled at the thought of another fish in the mix .
sometimes those "other" fish are great big disappointment to those that are targeting just a certain fish species .
case in point , line gets a bit odd and a little heavy and I set the hook and the fish down there goes to twisting on the hook set , my brain says darnit that ain't no crappie for sure ....:banghead
it is me to stay pretty far away from those that want to ketch whatever bites and or them there "other" fish species , bad karma for a "semi" serious crappie angler for sure :Rofl

Ahhh I just love another story about the Big Bad Bass Fisherman! Please tell me more! :banghead

:fishWhite Flag Icon. I enjoy some variety. Those bonus fish can be a blast to catch

There ain't nothing wrong with those guys that like to run and gun, they're just hyper-active and that's how their motors run. I'm kind of glad they don't care for crappie fishing because I'd bet a lot of them would be really good at it. I'm kinda the other end of the spectrum - laid back and don't want to expend any more energy than I have to.

I'm still kind of glad that those bass guys are around or we wouldn't get to fish out of 70 mph boats with all the amenities of home...

I have zero issues with bass fisherman. Tournament anglers are wired to fish fast and they can't shake it when they are just fishing for fun. There is nothing wrong with all. It's just a 180 on the way I fish. The two simply don't mix.

Even when I bass fished I was more thorough than most of them. A good amount of the time, I caught more than the speed fishing guys. Never liked the attitude some of them carry where they give you the third degree on where and how you do things but choke and kick the dirt or just blatantly tell you” I’m not telling you that! I need those fish for a tournament!” I decided that I’m not built that way and steer clear of most of them.

In reference to what Alphahawk said, folks ask me what they need to bring? I tell em nothing, cuz you don’t fish like I do. I have some loaners and I e been known to put my rod in their hands. I know he can’t do quite what I do because of the quality of the gear he uses and it usually won’t take the abuse most folks give their gear. All the reasons everyone has spoken of is why I think so highly of someone I can spend the day in the boat with. A little of me goes a long way and those of you that know me will agree. Not everyone cares for a second trip with me and that’s OK too. My solution, like many others, is to go alone early and leave when the crazy people start to crowd the waters. The ramps are usually pretty crowded by then and it’s a good time to go anyway.

When I bass fished I would pick a place apart with a plastic worm fished slowly. Lately I have been getting the hankering to bass fish again for a few for the table. I remember fishing a Mister Twister Slimy Slug. That thing was fished very slow. It caught bass plenty. Gave them something they don't see very often

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

When I bass fished I would pick a place apart with a plastic worm fished slowly.

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My absolute favorite way to fish. I fish a tube, baby brush hog, super hog & a big worm hard in summer at night. Can't forget the jigs & ned rigs for smallmouth too.

A coworker has a bass tournament coming up in a few weeks and asked me if I wanted to go as his co angler. I politely declined. I do want one of them shimano reels you cant backlash though.

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I don’t want to hijack but have to say this. When I quit chasing green fish I was using a 5’6” and 6’light to medium action rod with 6lb mono. On the end was a 1/32 bullet weight and a #1 or 1/0 double offset hook with the point tweaked off to the side just a little with a 6” curl tail worm. I landed LMB up to 6# and stayed busy all day, much more then with heavier gear and bigger baits.

I still love to fish for bass, just not like I did 35 plus years ago. I still start out top water fishing for bass every time out, for about an hour and a half at daybreak. Then the ultralight stuff comes out and I fish for whatever bites. I tournament fished for a few years in the mid 80's, and it was too much like a job, so I quit then. To me fishing is supposed to be fun and that took all the fun out of it. I still go out about a dozen times at night bass fishing during the summer. Nothing like throwing a worm or a tube under a black light. I down sized my equipment for that to ultra or medium light stuff with six pound test and 1/32 to 1/16 oz weight and four to six inch worms and small tubes.

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Originally Posted by skeetbum

I don’t want to hijack but have to say this. When I quit chasing green fish I was using a 5’6” and 6’light to medium action rod with 6lb mono. On the end was a 1/32 bullet weight and a #1 or 1/0 double offset hook with the point tweaked off to the side just a little with a 6” curl tail worm. I landed LMB up to 6# and stayed busy all day, much more then with heavier gear and bigger baits.

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we often ketch real big ole bass on crappie jigs when the bass guys pitching a godzilla sized bait aint , a bud of mine who is bass tourney person has managed several well over 10 lbs and he uses a really small crawfish plastic about 2 inches long , says the big fish are often really wary of the big baits ...

I used to bass fish for money &amp; got pretty good at it.&nbsp; I ended up way ahead on winnings compared to entry fees paid out. Though I didn't restrict myself to bass fishing only.&nbsp; The vehicle wreck I was in 15 years ago forced me to sell my bass boat to pay bills, because I was out of work for 9 months &amp; had bills to pay.&nbsp; At my wife's suggestion, I got a kayak to help rehab my shoulders, but I realized in less than 5 minutes in that kayak that I couldn't be on the water without fishing gear.&nbsp; I rigged my kayak to fish and just sort of gravitated toward slowing down (obviously) and covering water more thoroughly.&nbsp; Crappie easily became a year-round pursuit.<br><br>I never had a problem fishing for different species and enjoyed the versatility of being able to catch whatever we were after.&nbsp; That said, One day I was fishing with a serious bass addict friend on one of the local reservoirs.&nbsp; He was front ending the boat bad and barely leaving much unused water for me to fish.&nbsp; I just dropped down to lighter tackle, smaller lures, and slowed my approach.&nbsp; I started catching bass he'd "missed"(!) and when I hung a huge fish in the current on lighter tackle, he reluctantly had to chase it down current with the trolling motor.&nbsp; We were both sure it was a big largemouth and he was thrilled, but when it turned to "just" be a 5 pound White Bass, he couldn't have been more obviously disappointed.&nbsp; It was a great fight and a nice fish in current on light tackle. I found it an accomplishment. Since it wasn't the target species he was after, he couldn't have cared less.&nbsp; Pretty sure that was the last time we fished together. Some people just don't get it.<br><br>Jim

Man a that 5lb white bass must have pulled like a freight train.

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Originally Posted by Grainraiser

Man a that 5lb white bass must have pulled like a freight train.

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We thought is was a largemouth in the 8~10 pound range. It used every bit of bend in that rod and pulled lots of drag. I couldn't turn it in the current.

Jim

I don’t like tournament fishing period, it doesn’t matter what the target fish is. I enjoy catching bass by mistake but I never fish for them on purpose.

I just do not care to put green carp in my boat. Ate one and it did not taste good.

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Originally Posted by osok

I just do not care to put green carp in my boat. Ate one and it did not taste good.

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Amen!

Wanted to get another bass boat several years ago after selling the offshore boat i had. I'm a fan of yellow found a bass boat that needed a motor in Tenn. Trailer came with it my friend was off work offered to go get it for me if I would pay his gas and eats and a night in the hotel. Him and mama would make the trip. I agreed.
Ended up being a very famous pass persons boat. One his sponsors gave him. The Bass Professor. Doug Hannon. He had passed his wife sold the boat. Boat was stolen motor cut off still had the trolling motor but electronics and big motor was gone.
Ordered a 250 out of Fla did the customizing like I did to this 190Tx tracker I have now, had fun with it but its just to big for serious pan fishing.
Traded the boat for the lance slide in camper I have now. Money wise was about the same. Left the name on the side for a while, all the local bass guys were could over start talking with me like I knew all about bass fishing. LOL I've had several bass boats during my life and several pan fish boats mostly stick steer , Bought another stick steer. Again the bass boat platform is just to big for all the cypress trees we have around here getting in and out and if you all have followed my boat build I have two trolling motors on the boat so I can back out of stump fields and trees. .
Always enjoyed the slower cricket and bream buster style of fishing more than anything . Been single most of my life traveled with work for the security up till last July. Honestly that 16 foot pan fish I still have but will be selling in a couple of weeks suited me fine but the GF sold her house in ohio moving in now between us both needed more boat.
Traded the Harley for the 190tx Tracker. She loves this one ver the stick steer cause she can sit beside me. Have to admit we are best friends she loves all the hobbies I have. .

In order. Reds, trout, Stripers flounder, anything offshore , Crappie and bream tie, then bass. The little green ones anyway. LOL
When your use to catching something this huge with the name Bass those little green ones don't do much for you. :)
What I did get tickled about is on the tracker forum. With 80+ grand boats they now have stickers for the floor. Guys in the tracker forums do the very same thing. I think the TV challenge gets in their blood and the Hipe of bass fishing takes over. Have never once fishing in a tournament could care less about seeing if I could out do someone else . With traveling and 90 hour work weeks, there ain't to much better than Crickets and a cork or playing my video came with the Active Target I have now. LOL
For the record went to day. Last three times I have been caught one fish. I'm out there relaxing thats what matters most. :)









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Those are some dandy fishing in the photos

Wow, those are some beautiful AND good eating fish. I didn’t know you could keep that many strippers. With slots and all I guess the population is staying healthy. Congrats on a good trip.
Bob

2 per person had 4 in the boat. Have a 24 foot walk around now with everything in the world on it. 4 can go out comfortable cabin for the ladies. . 6.5 open ray radar, 3 graphs, night vision, Awning even drop down TV.
Have not used it this year been off on shoulder surgery but will be back out this fall when striper season hits buring gas. Moving from that 16 foot pan fish to the 190TX tracker I can use that boat anywhere this side of the bridge now. 16 footer waves would beat you to death. Tracker is v bottom so handles them fine.
Went fishing this morning caught one bass crappie just looking at it like NOPE, not interested. Going again tomorrow. LOL Muddy water have to wait a few days.
They have cut fishing dates for this year in the Roanoke River to 4 days on Stripers Thats IT. Offshore 2 per day, inshore three and the slot limit.
I"m not in a race to out fish anyone more honestly get thrown back. Still getting that OHIO girl use to seafood our way. Oysters that ain't gona happen but she does eat fish so I won't throw her back. :) Mounted the radar after that picture was taken but love striper fishing offshore. Trackers just a little to small to do that in. Attachment 425393.