I want to quit

[silverside]

This may sound crazy to you. You say it is all fish species. Is your scent the key? Gasoline, shower soap, deodorant, the food you ate on the way to the water, etc. I have seen it happen to a family member. He washed his hand with natural soap and used a human scent cover up such as Slab Sauce. He started catching fish. Now it is a ritual at the dock on every trip. I don't know...could help.

[Stumblebum]

Did you contact Crappie ciller ? That was a very generous offer he made to you.

[crappie wrangler]

What many of us do out of habit we never consider that others may not know. I strongly agree with the scent comment. Whether fishing or hunting I am down right anal about scent. I find that in specially cold water a cover scent makes a huge difference.

[BAFishBarn]

Did you contact Crappie ciller ? That was a very generous offer he made to you.

Yea I did.

Alot of this is coming from frustration at a trout pond. Its stocked with rainbow trout and I have done everything to try to catch a trout. Yesterday I see people catching them, one leaves and tells me to fish where they were. I had one thing of power bait and threw it right where I saw them catch a trout 5 minutes earlier. An hour later and nothing, while people all around me are yanking in trout left and right.

This is in a small pond. So the thought of locating where crappie will be in a river or lake seems impossible to me without electronics. So I just am really bummed.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[Stumblebum]

Yea I did.

Alot of this is coming from frustration at a trout pond. Its stocked with rainbow trout and I have done everything to try to catch a trout. Yesterday I see people catching them, one leaves and tells me to fish where they were. I had one thing of power bait and threw it right where I saw them catch a trout 5 minutes earlier. An hour later and nothing, while people all around me are yanking in trout left and right.

This is in a small pond. So the thought of locating where crappie will be in a river or lake seems impossible to me without electronics. So I just am really bummed.

Don't let that depress your outlook !
Take heed of the advice about scent. Electronics will help but are not the cureall. Go with Crappie ciller or hire a guide to help in new waters.

[Herewego]

Could be size line or color line you are using. If not using already try a small diameter low vis green line always work well with a #8 bait hook and half a night crawler.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[ezgoing]

I went fishing this morning, using jigs again. One of the regulars who fish the slips came by and asked how I was doing. I told him zero, he asked if had bought the salt and pepper soft plastic with the pink jig head he had advised two days ago.

I told no, but I was using a handtied that looked exactly like the soft plastic jig he had shown me, pink head grayish body, black spots and all. He looked at me and shook his head. They have not been biting any type of jig this month, handtied or not. If you would just listen you would start catching. I need three more for my limit and then I'm going home for the day. He was still shaking his head as he walked away.

Well as it happens, I dislike soft plastic lures. Don't know why but I have always disliked them and don't use them. Frankly I thought he was full of BS, if they will those soft plastic jigs they should hit any jig that looks like them. Plus I knew they were hitting handties as both Ketchn and SK had caught them Wednesday night using handtied jigs.

After another hour of catching nothing, I got up and went to a nearby sporting goods store and bought me some pink jig heads and some salt and pepper jigs as He had advised.

I then came back to my slip, not expecting to see any difference. But I caught an 11" crappie with the first drop of that pink jig head with the sale and pepper soft plastic jig body. Couldn't believe it so I tried again. Ten minutes later I caught my second crappie, also a keeper.

So I decided to experiment, using a two jig drop. The first few times I put the soft plastic as the top jig and my handtied jig as the bottom jig. I then caught two on the top soft plastic jig to zero for the handtied jig. So I switched the two jigs, putting the soft plastic jig on the bottom and the handtied jig on top. This time I caught three on the soft plastic, all keepers, and one on the handtied, a dink. And no, SK, this was not the carrot handtied jigs you so kindly give me the other night, this was a handtied that closely matched the salt and pepper soft plastic jig.

I ended up with 12 crappie keepers and a few throwbacks over a five hour period. Not a limit but since I was normally either getting skunked or catching one per day I consider it quite good.

And tomorrow I owe him an apology if I see him fishing.

Now don't get me wrong. I am still going to try my jigs first. But if I don't get any bites I am going to quickly switch to the soft plastic, even through I still don't like them.

[Hat55]

If I don't expect to catch fish I usually don't. Then after a while if I happen to get a bite I am asleep at the wheel. Confidence is very important for me. When you catch that first one, it's a whole new ballgame.
be careful, quitting can become a habit. H.ang in there things will get better

[need2befishin]

Don't quit, get mad at 'em. Make it your quest to sore mouth every one of those rascals and don't give up til ya do.

I'd rather tangle with a live skunk than to bring one home in my boat but EVERY fisherman strikes out once in a while. Take every chance you get to learn something about your hobby and always try to keep a good attitude and keep things less serious. I'm competitive about everything I do but fishing is supposed to be fun and a way to relieve stress. I remind myself often to keep it in perspective.

[ET Fish]

I promise you, when I struggle to catch fish, I’m gonna be talking at the ramp to anyone I see that’s coming in from fishing. I won’t, under any circumstances, ask WHERE they caught em. What I will know is how deep, what technique, and I’ll already have looked for a minner bucket. I’ll spend some time before I get to return, evaluating what I might have done wrong. When I get to go again, I will attempt to implement what I have learned. Continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results, well you know that old saying. Figuring em out is the most satisfying element of this sport, at least for me. This advice is worth exactly what you paid for it, but it works for me. Sometimes.