Lets talk game plans/strategies

[*T*]

Well, having a plan to start the day is a good thing, but be prepared to change that plan abruptly as the day plays out.  Fish will let you know, one way or another, if your planned locations/baits/depths/presentation speeds are worth sticking to or not.  And, as you know, that's how to help prevent your day from "quickly getting away from you".

[Sore Thumbs]

That's one thing I have made sure to do. I don't get stuck on one thing. I might not be successful that day but I make sure and try different baits,structure,methods,depths etc... Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. If I'm not in a tournament I always fish a new spot or area I've never been to before. One of these days I might actually be a decent stick. Ha

[Flysmallie]

4 hours ago, *T* said:

Well, having a plan to start the day is a good thing, but be prepared to change that plan abruptly as the day plays out.  Fish will let you know, one way or another, if your planned locations/baits/depths/presentation speeds are worth sticking to or not.  And, as you know, that's how to help prevent your day from "quickly getting away from you".

Well yeah there are always things that come up and put you on your backup or you fish into a better plan. A run and gun approach does not necessarily mean that you are fishing the same type of spot and the same way all day. Hopefully it turns into a solid pattern and then you can really capitalize on it. But you also have to be patient. You don't gain anything by easily scrapping your plan. I've had some plans that sucked all day then turned on right at the last minute. Had I abandoned the plan that would have never happened. I will say that most of this success was on one body of water that I knew extremely well. But by spending all that time doing that I was able to recreate my methods on other lakes and increase my odds of having a good day. Everybody needs a style that works for them. What works for me might not work for you. It's a fun game.

[Sore Thumbs]

2 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

Well yeah there are always things that come up and put you on your backup or you fish into a better plan. A run and gun approach does not necessarily mean that you are fishing the same type of spot and the same way all day. Hopefully it turns into a solid pattern and then you can really capitalize on it. But you also have to be patient. You don't gain anything by easily scrapping your plan. I've had some plans that sucked all day then turned on right at the last minute. Had I abandoned the plan that would have never happened. I will say that most of this success was on one body of water that I knew extremely well. But by spending all that time doing that I was able to recreate my methods on other lakes and increase my odds of having a good day. Everybody needs a style that works for them. What works for me might not work for you. It's a fun game.

Fish your strengths. I have heard that a million times. 

[nhornback]

On 1/9/2016 at 8:46 AM, nhornback said:

 

I fish to my strengths to a fault, mainly because I've yet to develop confidence in slowing down and thoroughly searching an area.  Seems that every time I locate a fish via a reaction bait I.e. cranks or spinnerbait, I slow down with a jig or worm and strike out for awhile before I move on.  

All this info has been awesome, thanks everyone for the responses.  I'm going to commit to a finesse approach this year when the conditions call for them, so you can bet I'll be coming back with more questions as the year goes on.

 

On 1/9/2016 at 8:46 AM, nhornback said:

 

[Sore Thumbs]

Take some finesse setups with you and leave the power fishing stuff at home. Force yourself to do it. If you can get proficient with finesse it will open up a whole new world. I started drop shot fishing this year and I have caught more fish this year than ever. Finally got my hands on some Ned rigs recently and I'm starting to learn those. I will say my first bass on the Ned was about a 2.5 lb black. Got bit on it when nothing else was working. My only problem with finesse fishing is the fact that I have to buy some more spinning reels and rods. Ha

[Champ188]

4 hours ago, nhornback said:

I fish to my strengths to a fault, mainly because I've yet to develop confidence in slowing down and thoroughly searching an area.  Seems that every time I locate a fish via a reaction bait I.e. cranks or spinnerbait, I slow down with a jig or worm and strike out for awhile before I move on.  

All this info has been awesome, thanks everyone for the responses.  I'm going to commit to a finesse approach this year when the conditions call for them, so you can bet I'll be coming back with more questions as the year goes on.

 

If you catch a fish on a reaction bait, that's not the time to slow down and fish differently. Stay with what's working at the moment. The pros may advocate doing that, but they are usually not fishing Table Rock. Fish here are famous for either looking up (reaction baits) or looking down (dragging baits) on a given day. If you catch one on a spinnerbait or topwater, ride that horse until it craps out. If you catch one on a jig or shaky head, stay with it until the action stops or it's time to go home.

The key is finding the fish and figuring out what they want on a given day. Once you do, don't mess with success until they force you to change.

[dtrs5kprs]

6 hours ago, Champ188 said:

If you catch a fish on a reaction bait, that's not the time to slow down and fish differently. Stay with what's working at the moment. The pros may advocate doing that, but they are usually not fishing Table Rock. Fish here are famous for either looking up (reaction baits) or looking down (dragging baits) on a given day. If you catch one on a spinnerbait or topwater, ride that horse until it craps out. If you catch one on a jig or shaky head, stay with it until the action stops or it's time to go home.

The key is finding the fish and figuring out what they want on a given day. Once you do, don't mess with success until they force you to change.

The feeding up or down deal is critical to catching them. Even deep fish will do it.

Fishing to strength is a great idea, unless your strength does not match the day, or the lake. There are lots of good grass fisherman on tour who hate TR for that very reason.

[nhornback]

On 1/9/2016 at 8:46 AM, nhornback said:

 

What environmental factors might clue you in to whether they're feeding up or down? Wind and clouds vs sunny and slick? Time of day? 

On 1/9/2016 at 8:46 AM, nhornback said:

 

[Smalliebigs]

On Saturday, January 09, 2016 at 10:54 AM, nhornback said:

I will surely spend my "tinkering" time getting a set up for the ned rig ready.

 Since I'm new and inexperienced, getting out in freezing conditions to fish in ways I've never done before is a little daunting.  I understand its called fishing and not catching for a reason, but I want to feel confident I'm on the right track with my game plan, otherwise it's easy to get discouraged and wonder whether or not I'm totally backasswards on where and how I should be fishing...

 

Yep that's why it's called fishing  and there is no replacement for experience. I wish somebody  gave me a road map with details on how to fish Table Rock....it only took about 10 years of fishing  there thru trial and error and doing  field work on my own to feel like I could go catch some fish there. It must be nice if these guy's  are willing  to give up as much info as you seem to want. There is mucho info on The Table Rock forums if you just do some research.