Why the hell do I never catch anything

[zio707]

Put in the time and be patient, don't be discouraged or give up.

You'll eventually make your own luck as you get better on your quest to be a Fisher.

Tight Lines!

[NapalmCheese]

Two most important things to catching and not fishing are:

You need the right bait.

You need to put the bait were the fish are.

This!
Especially being in the right place.

Too many times have my buddy and I decided to go fish off the beach only to realize that all we were doing was having a really good time chatting with each other while soaking bait in unproductive areas.

Be in the right place at the right time. Surf fishing has a few rules to help with that, lake fishing does as well. Stream fishing, well, I didn't grow up stream fishing and it's pretty obvious from the lack of trout in my freezer.

[krwada]

right!

This!
Especially being in the right place.

Too many times have my buddy and I decided to go fish off the beach only to realize that all we were doing was having a really good time chatting with each other while soaking bait in unproductive areas.

Be in the right place at the right time. Surf fishing has a few rules to help with that, lake fishing does as well. Stream fishing, well, I didn't grow up stream fishing and it's pretty obvious from the lack of trout in my freezer.

Yes ... It is all three...

1. Right place, (place on the beach, open ocean, lake or stream)
2. Right time, (sometimes the fish are there but they will not bite)
3. Right bait, (as I have pointed out earlier ... it can be anything)

I was once up at Lake Mendocino with my brother-in-law with his all-mens group outing several years ago. There were a bunch of snafus with getting organized to the campsite. Needless to say, I was very unhappy when we finally got there. I really wanted to get some fishing in, and we did not get to the site until around 2:30 to 3:30pm! I setup my tent and unloaded and setup all my stuff and told my BIL that I was going to go out to the lake and do a bit of fishing.

The first bait I sent out was this paddle tail worm that had a lead weight embedded in the paddle. I rigged this thing with a split shot, (California Style), and cast out and start jigging it in. Just when it hits bottom, and I flick the rod tip up ... (WHAM!) I get a strike! It was a nice bass. Then, I catch and release about a dozen more, and I decide that since the wind kicked up and there is a bit of a chop, that I ought to send out a top-water. So, I send out a Rapala small floating minnow... Nothing ... then, I twitch it a couple of times and a bigmouth just swallows the thing! I then repeat the process with a Zara Spook ... and a small bass just about gobbles both hooks!

After about an hour, my arm gets really sore from catching and releasing all the bass. Needless to say, this is probably one of the best fishing experiences of my life!

Then, I go out the next day.... early in the day ... One of my BIL's friends was out there. I asked him ... How's the fishing? To which he said ... "I can't even seem to get a nibble". I ask him what he is using ... and he says Power Bait.... I then tell him "This is a striped bass / large mouth / small mouth / blue gill impoundment. Trout bait is not gonna work. You need to switch to night crawlers".

Anyway ... I get started with a top-water, (Zara spook), I get some hits, but nothing like the day before. My best action was with some black spinners and some soft plastics, (Senkos, Roboworms) ... Jet black seemed to be the color that was working. Needless to say; I was a bit disappointed with the action ... given what I experienced the day before.

My BIL's friend asked me ... "I have never seen anyone fish like you do. You ACTIVELY fish ... It is like jet-ski fishing!". I said that to me, it is the hookups that matter. I will do almost anything to get a hookup ... However, I do get skunked from time to time ... especially with only using lures.

I told him that just the day before, I caught and released so many fish in about an hour ... that I stopped keeping track after 20 or 30 fish or so. And today ... I am lucky to just catch 5-6 fish in about two hours of fishing.

Just goes to show you ... The fish are probably out there ... but they may not be biting!

Anyhow ... My BIL's friend was getting very disappointed with a lack of hookups. I asked him: "Do you have any worms?" Then he replies ... "Sadly ... no".

So ... I tell him that if he can wait, I can help him out. Then he says ... "NO ... I am not used to fishing like you. I do not know how to do this jet-ski fishing like you do". I then say to him... "That's OK ... I can help rig you up with some bait that might work, and still fits with your style". Then he says ... "Oh? How so?". I till him, that the next fish I catch, we will use it for bait. Then he says to me: "What? That will be too big!". Then I say ... "Don't worry, it is an old fishing trick we use with salt water ... It will probably work with fresh too."

So, I catch a bass, and I lance the spine killing it. I then, with my knife gut and clean the thing and slice a small fillet. This thing is like a little fish strip that has a bit of skin on it. I check out my BIL's friends rig, and ask him if he has a bobber. Much to my delight ... I find that he has some slip bobbers in his tackle box. So ... I rig up the slip bobber for about 4 feet with a #6 bait hook and put some of the fish strips on them. I then tell him to cast the sucker out and wait about 10 or 20 seconds. If no hits ... then give the thing a tug, and reel in about a crank or so and wait.... Sure enough, the bobber plunges under water and he gets his first fish!

He then asks me ... "Hey Ken ... have you ever considered being a guide?" To which I say ... "Whenever my family or friends go fishing with me ... I AM the guide. I do all the rigging, tell them where to cast, how to work the bait and all of that stuff" ... plus ... doing this for money would probably take all the joy out of it anyway.

[LynnJr]

OP
My earlier post was short because I was busy but let me explain what I meant.

First was the right bait.
Most bass fisherman catch the smaller males because they use small baits. The females eat like hogs and require bigger baits.
Next is the type of bait.If you go fishing for Perch on the coast look at those who are catching fish and those who are not.If the guys catching fish are using small crabs that is fine but if the fishing is slow pile worms will be your best best.
Live bait trumps everything.If you want to catch bass in a river use live eels not rubber worms and you will catch something with every eel. Once you get 20 years under your belt rubber worms will work. Next dont kill your live bait so look up how to properly rig it so it doesnt die.
On the suggestion to use Powerbait you need to remember that it floats.If you dont rig it correctly it won't be were the fish are it will be above or below them and they wont go after it. Watch the guys who are catching fish and rig your bait to the same float level.
On the use of squid everything in the ocean eats squid but that doesn't mean it is the most productive bait. The aprtyboats use it because its cheap and it stays on the hook.Anchovies,Sardines and Mackeral on't stay on a hook as well but might be a better bait to use.You can tie a chunk to your hook with a thin thread the same color as the bait.You never want to use fishing line to tie your bait on because it glows like a lazer under the water.
If you ever get a chance to dive next to a guy fishing with 30 pound test line do it.The first thing you will notice is that on sunny days the light will travel down the line and it will look like a light saber from Star Wars. The thinner lines glow less and are harder to see but they all give off a bright shine no matter the color or brand.
You will always catch more fish on overcast days and early mornings and dusk.
I have afriend who owns a jetboat and huge house on Gold Beach who invited me fishing. He asked me when I wanted to get up and I told him an hour before sunrise.He never goes fishing before 10AM.
The next morning we got up ate breakfast and headed fishing with two very sleepy looking people.As we were heading out of his slip I was setting poles up and he said we would not catch anything until atleast 9AM.Just as he finished talking his wifes pole went off and she landed a 28 pounder.We were done fishing and back at his house with limits before 9AM and he said it was his best day ever.We did the same thing for all three days.

Now as to the right place.
Fish float in the water at certain elevations and most varieties dont dive or climb for food.If your at the wrong height you wont catch fish.If your in a known good area and all else is right change the rig up or down to see if that helps.When fishing with multiple hooks or multiple poles see which hook or pole is getting the most bites and adjust your gear accordingly.
Next is the right spot in your body of water.
if your after sand dabs dont fish rocky areas and if your after rockfish don't fish mud or sand.If you see a rocky ridge or outcropping running into the ocean chances are it continues on into the water.This were you want to fish for rockfish. The guys with boats will look at the depth finder to see variations in the depth that lets them know they are coming to a bunch of rock underwater.

[teg33]

I have found that carp will eat just about anything.

And yes ... they especially like canned corn and bread dough.

I have caught a lot of carp.

I remember my youngest told me that he wanted catch and eat some carp. To which I asked ... "Are you sure you want to catch and eat some carp?" To which he said ... "YEAH!!!"

I then took out our lunch and took some of the bread and rolled it up into a nice round ball of dough. I then changed his rig to a sliding sinker rig and showed him where to cast. (Usually near the edge of a concrete out-cropping).

Lo, and behold, he hooked up a nice sized carp! Then he hooked up a couple of more.

Then he complained ... He said ... "Dad! these fish do not fight ... I mean when they first get hooked, they fight ... then all of a sudden they quit .... it is like dragging a boot!"

Then I said ... "Well ... that is carp for ya!"

We got home, I cleaned the things and fried them up. Actually, they were quite tasty ... but all full of bones!

At this point ... My youngest no longer insisted on going carp fishing.

Some folks do not mind the bones. The meat of a carp is very flavorful however ... it is just ... all those bones!

Cook the carp in pressure cooker for about 30 to 40 minute depending the size, you can deep fried them after. That's how I cook crap, no trouble with bones

[five.five-six]

Never bring bananas with you, you will never catch anything if you have bananas in tow.

[stonefly-2]

i'm a lifelong compulsive.
iv'e studied, read, competed got up early & stayed late. i dove headlong into any new disipline i encountered as as my family moved across the country or this state and i'm here to tell you there ARE!! fish gods.
those days you don't catch you are either building up mojo or atoning for something that has displeased them. it's very important to understand which it is but to start with never, never, ever be unhappy about a day you got to fish whether you caught fish or not. (they will know)
i'm hesitant to go too deeply into my fishlosophy because people pretty quickly assume i'm bragging and miss my point entirely but it's many things working together. experience, knowledge of local conditions, quality & suitability of equiptment, reading the water, understanding the quarry and more but these are only tools to be applied by an apex predator.
that is the key

[Im Broken]

Go to the surf. Use a Carolina rig with the Gulp 2" camo sandworm and I guarantee you will get a bite with that. That's what I started with, now I am for big game with squid and mackerel heads.

I'm a surf fishing junkie. Beauty about social, I can almost do it year round.

Don't give up.

A bad day of fishing is better than your best day at work.

[deckhandmike]

And when you get really serious, start spearfishing. I don't give a crap if they are biting. They all bleed.

[MikeSmith]

I can never seem to catch anything be it at the lake or on the coast. When fishing for bass I use all the stuff for bass and when I fish in the salt water I use squid. I have caught stuff with squid before. What the hell am I doing wrong ? I love being out there but would like it if I could catch something as well

Well if you're fishing for Bass right now it's January and its cold. They aren't biting much. I fish for Bass in the spring and summer. And trout and striped bass in the winter months because they like colder temps.

[scotthmt]

Salmon, I kill lots and lots of salmon.

[bowfin]

If you can find a copy of "Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers", it is the single most effective way to catch freshwater fish.

In one sentence:

Cast a LIVELY nightcrawler hooked through the nose on a #6 Aberdeen hook, using 4 or 6 lb. test and let the worm do the work.

Keep your nightcrawlers cool and alive, and they will provide the action. If it is dead, replace it.

[CandG]

10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish.

"Well that's hardly fair, I think the top 10% should be required to redistribute their fish to the less skilled fishermen, until everyone has an equal number of fish."
-Barack Obama

[Divernhunter]

You need to put hooks on your lures/line to have a better chance of catching a fish.

[rg_1111@yahoo.com]

Wash your hands before touching your Lures.
Next find out what the fish are feeding on. Then match the lure to what they are eating.
Bass like darkness. Find a tree or big Rock and fish the shade side. If there is current fish with the flow of the water.
I take three poles. One with a Spinner bait. One with a Jig. One with a Crank bait or a rubber swim bait.
I know one of these will catch.
Red and White lures are one of my favorites for Striped bass.
Remember dry lines dont catch fish.
Good luck.