In another thread I alluded to the way I fall into fishing ruts. Lack of versatility and an unwillingness to experiment limits my catch at times. So what are your most consistent fishing habits that limit your success? Here's a couple of mine:

-"what worked last time will work this time", and even when it doesn't I keep at it
-unwillingness to test shallow water for walleye, "they have to be deep!",
-using the same retrieve all the time
-unwillingness to try larger lures, like 5-6 inch swimbaits.
-unwillingness to explore. I can't easily leave a good spot in search of a great spot. I can really get stuck into 'hole sitting'.
-ignoring the factor of wind velocity and direction, as it affects baitfish. I know better, but somehow I just find myself not paying enough attention to this

I've got a much longer list, this is just to 'prime the pump'.

I have preferred methods for fishing and I'll often start with them even when they might not be the best option for that day. Given the limited amount of time I have to fish these days I'd be much better off if I spent 2 extra minutes thinking about the best presentation for the conditions rather than jumping right into my favorite methods and proving them to be ineffective for the conditions before moving on to something that would work better. I usually still get to the better method but I waste precious time on the water in the process.

Also sometimes I'll get home and I'll all of a sudden get this brilliant idea on how I could have better fished on that trip. It seems so obvious after the fact but while on the water I must have been too preoccupied with the methods that I hoped would work that I didn't stop to think about the methods that would have worked.

Mine is basically unwilling to learn. Or lack of interest in it. I have my beginner tactics and they seem to work very well. Jig with bait, troll with rapala, cast with spoon/mepps. Repeat until fish are caught.

I have gone on a couple trips with an avid fisher and the setups he uses are way complex however they do tend to produce better than mine...though not always ;) But lack of knowledge does lead to me to target pike over everything else. They are just so easy.

If I might share a non-BWCA story of how NOT being in rut paid off hugely for friends. Years ago Kansas was in a multi-year drought. Reservoir levels dropped dramatically. One cove 'dried up' for years, and scrub weeds and brush took over. Finally the cycle turned and the reservoir re-filled. Now this cove was a shallow, flooded mini-forest of saplings and other brush. My friends happened to notice shad activity there one day in July after the annual shad hatch. So, "the fish follow the bait", right? The water temps in that shallow water were in the mid-80's. And midday, wet wading in shorts, using only a length of line, or casting into tiny little channels with heavy line and sassy shads, they just clobbered the walleye. Middle of the day in hot water!! The Kansas limit is five, they caught multiple limits, the best stringer was 5 fish from 5-9 lbs. They kept their mouths shut and had the place to themselves as the pattern lasted for several weeks. (Maybe leave the comments about catch and release for another thread LOL)

Anyway, I can't imagine myself ever being that imaginative and willing to experiment. I'm stuck in my ruts. Everyone just 'knows' that walleye in the dog days of summer are deep, right??

I learned how to fish on one lake when I was a kid, and with the help of an old Italian guy who probably had forgot more about fishing than I will ever know, became a fair fisherman. So yeah, I pretty much stay with what has brought me success over the years. Jigs with minnows, slip bobbers, daredevls, spinner baits, trolling with various lures, and even still fishing over the side. I adjust for conditions-wind, cold or hot weather, rain (I have had amazing luck during rainstorms) and the like. I generally keep trying until something clicks, and then stay with it. It seems to me that each lake has different things that work, and no two lakes are the same.

Great idea for a thread!

-"what worked last time will work this time", and even when it doesn't I keep at it

Yep, that's me too.

-using the same retrieve all the time

Ditto.

-unwillingness to try larger lures, like 5-6 inch swimbaits.

One reason I quit musky fishing is because big lures are hard on a body. I'm happy to not go back to them.

-unwillingness to explore. I can't easily leave a good spot in search of a great spot. I can really get stuck into 'hole sitting'.

I tend to be restless, so I don't have this vice.

-ignoring the factor of wind velocity and direction, as it affects baitfish. I know better, but somehow I just find myself not paying enough attention to this

I do know that a windswept shore can be terrific. If the wind is blowing through a saddle, even better.


My failings are these:

I don't like jig fishing, so I rarely do it and have nearly no skill at it.

I TGO too much because it's so damn effective.

I surface fish too much because it's so damn fun.

Sticking with the same technique for to long when it isn’t being productive .

I'd like to do more trolling on my home waters. Difficult to do with all the brush and contour changes.

Sticking with the same tactic/lure/color too long. Just moving around using the same tactic (and same results) instead of trying different presentations.

Took a buddy on many a trip. He had no input on where or how we fished.
One year he decided to go it alone with his wife. Didn't catch shit.
He went to all the places I had taken him before....
To bad he went a month earlier and the fish weren't there yet.
Laugh my ass off..
The next year took his wife and sister and brother in law. Had vehicle problems and showed up a day late....
Permit no good.
He packed everyone up and drove 12 hrs home instead of taking a alternant entry point.
He only knew where I took him ..... he never went again....
Not to mention he showed up home at midnight . Everyone arguing
Goes in and throws his buddy and girlfriend out of house who were dogsitting....... bahahahahaha.

Okay, short and sweet. Base camp established near the Portage Lake portage on Knife Lake. I fished nothing but cranks on Knife and on our day trip to Vera. My son-in-law and two grandsons fished live leeches. We had a nice fish fry of smallmouth bass one night. The SB were caught on live leeches by my grandsons and son-in-law. Me, the artificial lure purist, did not have a bite. I'm still going to use only artificial lures, at least until I'm really hungry!

Attributing my lack of success to "they must not be biting"