How has bass fishing changed over the years?

[John Kerr]

I was stationed at Pensacola, Fl. 35 years ago...thats where I was
introduced to bass fishing. I always leaned torward salt water fishing
back then, but a young sailor from Alabama talked me into going bass
fishing with him. The kid was, and still is in my opinion, one of the
best around. That was back when a "purple" worm was about all the color
choices ya had <g>. The kid could skull a boat and cast at the same
time, he had all his fishing lures in a tackle box the size of a cigar
box...a dozen purple worms, a broke back rapala, a popper, and a couple
spoons. And he caught bass...big bass! We fished the Black Water River
mostly, and he taught me "the trade", I don't know whether to thank him
or cuss him <g>. But for years, all I carried in my tackle box was a
match of his...then I got "corrupted", started adding all those "touted"
baits untill I had a tackle box the size of a suitcase...but I never
caught any more bass than I did fishing with the "kid"!
Now I see my son with the biggest and fastest boat, a garage full of
tackle, eight poles in the pole locker, loaded and ready...and he
doesn't catch any more fish than the kid did...just gets paid a HELL of
lot more for it <g>! I don't think the bass have done any
changing...reckon it's that age old competion thing thats changed the
fishing, hu? I still have some old purple worms, a few "Otay Specials",
and yes...a broke back rapala too <g>.
Any "old timers" still around? <grin>
JK

[James Luning]

John,
Great tale.

I'v been bass fishing 46 yrs. (started late) Still learning and not catching
any more bass than I did in 1959.
Jim L
"John Kerr" > wrote in message
...
> I was stationed at Pensacola, Fl. 35 years ago...thats where I was
> introduced to bass fishing. I always leaned torward salt water fishing
> back then, but a young sailor from Alabama talked me into going bass
> fishing with him. The kid was, and still is in my opinion, one of the
> best around. That was back when a "purple" worm was about all the color
> choices ya had <g>. The kid could skull a boat and cast at the same
> time, he had all his fishing lures in a tackle box the size of a cigar
> box...a dozen purple worms, a broke back rapala, a popper, and a couple
> spoons. And he caught bass...big bass! We fished the Black Water River
> mostly, and he taught me "the trade", I don't know whether to thank him
> or cuss him <g>. But for years, all I carried in my tackle box was a
> match of his...then I got "corrupted", started adding all those "touted"
> baits untill I had a tackle box the size of a suitcase...but I never
> caught any more bass than I did fishing with the "kid"!
> Now I see my son with the biggest and fastest boat, a garage full of
> tackle, eight poles in the pole locker, loaded and ready...and he
> doesn't catch any more fish than the kid did...just gets paid a HELL of
> lot more for it <g>! I don't think the bass have done any
> changing...reckon it's that age old competion thing thats changed the
> fishing, hu? I still have some old purple worms, a few "Otay Specials",
> and yes...a broke back rapala too <g>.
> Any "old timers" still around? <grin>
> JK
>

[Dan]

Have to say that bass fishing has definitely changed in lots of ways. Some
good some bad.
Good changes:
The equipment is better. Better lines, rods, reels, baits.
The information is better. The wealth of fishing knowledge available is
light years ahead of 30 years ago.
Catch & Release is much more prevalent.
A bass is a bass and they usually are doing the same things as they did
years ago.

The bad:
More people, less fish, less water.
The belief that the old stuff doesn't catch fish.
The knowledge of the fishermen is so much better. Higher, more sophisticated
pressure results in less fish or a educated fish population that can be a
lot harder to catch.
With the knowledge being what it is, places that normally held bass and they
felt safe, are now pounded to oblivion and the bass living there have been
caught or moved to where they are not hassled. The result is that we now
have to fish for the bass in areas and in ways that "the book" says they
cannot or should not be. ie: the fish is no longer living underneath that
decaying duck blind, he is out suspended off the break of the main channel
or he is sitting on a rock pile in 30'.

The ugly:
Any A**hole (tournament angler, skier, boater) that thinks the water is his,
the fish are his, the cove is his....
Infomercial fishing lures.
The guy who is fishing next to you, with the same bait, same rig, same
everything, and he is up 10 to 0 on you. :-)

Dan W.


"John Kerr" > wrote in message
...
> I was stationed at Pensacola, Fl. 35 years ago...thats where I was
> introduced to bass fishing. I always leaned torward salt water fishing
> back then, but a young sailor from Alabama talked me into going bass
> fishing with him. The kid was, and still is in my opinion, one of the
> best around. That was back when a "purple" worm was about all the color
> choices ya had <g>. The kid could skull a boat and cast at the same
> time, he had all his fishing lures in a tackle box the size of a cigar
> box...a dozen purple worms, a broke back rapala, a popper, and a couple
> spoons. And he caught bass...big bass! We fished the Black Water River
> mostly, and he taught me "the trade", I don't know whether to thank him
> or cuss him <g>. But for years, all I carried in my tackle box was a
> match of his...then I got "corrupted", started adding all those "touted"
> baits untill I had a tackle box the size of a suitcase...but I never
> caught any more bass than I did fishing with the "kid"!
> Now I see my son with the biggest and fastest boat, a garage full of
> tackle, eight poles in the pole locker, loaded and ready...and he
> doesn't catch any more fish than the kid did...just gets paid a HELL of
> lot more for it <g>! I don't think the bass have done any
> changing...reckon it's that age old competion thing thats changed the
> fishing, hu? I still have some old purple worms, a few "Otay Specials",
> and yes...a broke back rapala too <g>.
> Any "old timers" still around? <grin>
> JK
>

[John Kerr]

Dan, Nice piece, and well put...I have to agree on most everything ya
said!

=====

Re: How has bass fishing changed over the years?

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Mon, Oct 6, 2003, 7:18pm (CDT+5)
From: (Dan)
Have to say that bass fishing has definitely changed in lots of ways.
Some good some bad.
Good changes:
The equipment is better. Better lines, rods, reels, baits. The
information is better. The wealth of fishing knowledge available is
light years ahead of 30 years ago.
Catch & Release is much more prevalent.
A bass is a bass and they usually are doing the same things as they did
years ago.
The bad:
More people, less fish, less water.
The belief that the old stuff doesn't catch fish. The knowledge of the
fishermen is so much better. Higher, more sophisticated pressure results
in less fish or a educated fish population that can be a lot harder to
catch.
With the knowledge being what it is, places that normally held bass and
they felt safe, are now pounded to oblivion and the bass living there
have been caught or moved to where they are not hassled. The result is
that we now have to fish for the bass in areas and in ways that "the
book" says they cannot or should not be. ie: the fish is no longer
living underneath that decaying duck blind, he is out suspended off the
break of the main channel or he is sitting on a rock pile in 30'.
The ugly:
Any A**hole (tournament angler, skier, boater) that thinks the water is
his, the fish are his, the cove is his....
Infomercial fishing lures.
The guy who is fishing next to you, with the same bait, same rig, same
everything, and he is up 10 to 0 on you. :-)
Dan W.
=======
"John Kerr" > wrote in message
...
I was stationed at Pensacola, Fl. 35 years ago...thats where I was
introduced to bass fishing. I always leaned torward salt water fishing
back then, but a young sailor from Alabama talked me into going bass
fishing with him. The kid was, and still is in my opinion, one of the
best around. That was back when a "purple" worm was about all the color
choices ya had <g>. The kid could skull a boat and cast at the same
time, he had all his fishing lures in a tackle box the size of a cigar
box...a dozen purple worms, a broke back rapala, a popper, and a couple
spoons. And he caught bass...big bass! We fished the Black Water River
mostly, and he taught me "the trade", I don't know whether to thank him
or cuss him <g>. But for years, all I carried in my tackle box was a
match of his...then I got "corrupted", started adding all those "touted"
baits untill I had a tackle box the size of a suitcase...but I never
caught any more bass than I did fishing with the "kid"! Now I see my son
with the biggest and fastest boat, a garage full of tackle, eight poles
in the pole locker, loaded and ready...and he doesn't catch any more
fish than the kid did...just gets paid a HELL of lot more for it <g>! I
don't think the bass have done any changing...reckon it's that age old
competion thing thats changed the fishing, hu? I still have some old
purple worms, a few "Otay Specials", and yes...a broke back rapala too
<g>.
Any "old timers" still around? <grin>
JK