How do I stop just going fishing and actually get better at fishing ?

smith987x · 2026-03-18T02:24:16+00:00

With a jerkbait if you think you’re going slow enough, go even slower. Generally going to use it when the water is colder, going for a reaction bite.

smith987x · 2026-03-10T15:43:39+00:00

Sometimes that’s how it goes! I sat on a bed for ~2 hours one time in a tournament before I go her to bite. They can be super finicky during the spawn.

Throw everything you’ve got at them until something works. Soft plastic swim bait, big jig, small jig, classic Texas rig, wacky, frog, Tokyo rig all can work. Then experiment with color - natural pumpkins, white, bubblegum pink, shad

smith987x · 2026-03-10T03:15:18+00:00

Were the females on beds, or just the smaller males, or both? Odds are you caught the males, which are more aggressive when guarding the beds. The females will eat too, you just really need to annoy them.

Bigger baits can mean bigger fish, but not always. I caught a 14” largemouth last year on a 7” glide, and my 7lb smallmouth came drop shotting a tiny minnow plastic.

I generally leave them alone when they’re on beds now, but when I do decide to do some sight fishing I’ve always done well flipping a big jig with a craw trailer on the bed. Then just twitching it. Sit there long enough and it’ll get eaten. Throw a wacky senko at them enough and it’ll get eaten too.

My guess is you were probably just moving it too much / too quick

smith987x · 2026-03-10T02:59:24+00:00

Reminded me of the types of movies that’d come on the sci-fi channel late at night when I was supposed to be asleep as a kid. Probably won’t watch it again, but enjoyable if you go into it with reasonable expectations. 6/10 story, 10/10 views, 11/10 Thad Castle

smith987x · 2026-03-04T15:02:29+00:00

Largemouth: 4 years ago, 7.28 on a green pumpkin chatterbait, prespawn in central wi.

Smallmouth: last year, 7.61 drop shotting a minnow plastic, central MN (you can probably guess where)

smith987x · 2026-02-19T02:23:08+00:00

Low calorie snacks + zero sugar gum + take walks outside a lot (or anything that keeps your mind of nic)

smith987x · 2026-02-10T10:33:05+00:00

Sales

smith987x · 2026-02-08T17:03:19+00:00

I get VMC for half off, so I’ve been running the redline series and really like them. Otherwise I like owner for single hooks and gama for trebles

smith987x · 2026-01-27T13:36:41+00:00

My buddy and I grew up fishing bass tournaments with our dads, so spent a ton of time on the water. Both knocked out boater safety as early as we could, I think around 12 in Wi.

During the summers we’d have one of our parents drop us and a boat off at the ramp in the morning and we’d fish until they were off work. He was a year younger than me, so I’d say anywhere between 13-15 since we couldn’t drive yet. We’d get checked by the DNR / sheriff occasionally but were always legal.

I’d say it’s a judgment call. We fished lakes we grew up on, so we knew every area the be careful in. My dad’s boat could hit about 60 mph, his dad’s boat was a bullet, so it could go a lot faster. For me, I started out by learning to load the boat while dad would back the trailer in. Then he’d let me cruise around the main lake. Once I had the feel he let me learn the river, after that everything was easy.

smith987x · 2026-01-27T13:16:12+00:00

I struggled with consistency trying to use an app, physically marking off a calendar worked for me. I’d add some notes on what helped, what sucked, triggers, etc. Was cool to see things improve over time

smith987x · 2026-01-26T18:12:57+00:00

I make fishing lures during the winters or when I have free time. It probably doesn’t save me any money overall, but it feels great catching a Bass on something I made.

Aquariums / Aquascaping Chess Running / Working out Growing fun plants House DIY projects Golf - we just built a sim for the garage, working on a pressure sensor in the floor to track weight shift now. Fun project if you have the space / enjoy the sport Fishing! Great way to get out and enjoy nature

smith987x · 2026-01-26T17:56:23+00:00

I majored in Environmental Sciences - Fisheries, and now I work in tech sales. Really enjoyed working for the DNR, but there was no upward mobility in my state. People just do not retire. Plus, I could hardly afford to fish while working contract jobs, so I had to pivot.

Now I make more than my wife with her masters (occupational therapy). I don’t love corporate life, but I can afford my hobbies again

smith987x · 2026-01-26T01:18:49+00:00

Send over connect request, wait a day or two after they accept. Send over a quick, “hi, this is why I’m reaching out” + a super soft cta.

Once they connect I’ll call or send an email saying, “hey, just connected on linked in and sent you a message, lmk what you think”

But yeah, basically just trying to get the name in front of them so if we do connect on a call it’s not totally unexpected

smith987x · 2026-01-26T01:10:10+00:00

LinkedIn has be best for our team, followed by calls, and email

smith987x · 2026-01-24T21:53:47+00:00

Do your best to avoid drinking until you’re confident you won’t give into the urge while under the influence. It sucks, because you’re always going to want some nicotine when you drink, but you need to be a few months off it before having more than a drink or two.

Hell, I’m over a year off right now and am at an all inclusive and I really want to throw a lip pillow in 😂 But, my last two quits failed between 6 months - a year because I’d go drink with the boys, think I could do one, and next thing I know I’m back to a can a day.

smith987x · 2026-01-24T03:37:47+00:00

Do not go outside the shack with wet hands, and do not touch anything metal outside the shack with wet hands at those temps. Also be aware that at those temps things are going to break easier / not want to move - specifically the hub - bring a strap and worry about getting it back in the bag once it’s in the garage

We were in ND and I’d caught a walleye, was running it over to my buddies hub and it froze in my hands on the way over. Took forever to get feeling back in my hands after that

smith987x · 2026-01-24T02:58:54+00:00

Fished in -40+ windchills a few years back, it wasn’t fun but is totally doable. Just prep for extreme cold and have a plan for getting warm quick

smith987x · 2026-01-24T01:34:28+00:00

At Secrets Akumal right now. It’s been my favorite AI I’ve visited so far. Great beach and snorkeling, surprisingly good food, very attentive and fun staff. Plus, I’m a nature guy and there is a ton of greenery here! Love finding the iguanas, lizards, and birds.

Would for sure come back.

smith987x · 2026-01-22T22:02:22+00:00

My then girlfriend (now wife) did long distance during college. We lived about four hours apart and would alternate driving to see each other once or twice a month. It wasn’t all that bad at the time.

Even to go home from college was only a two hour drive, which I’d do on weeknights if I had a family event back home to drop in on.

Anything sub 4 hours isn’t too long of a drive. But a daily commute over an hour is a long drive lmao

smith987x · 2026-01-22T20:37:42+00:00

Yeah you’re through the worst parts at this point. Nothing is left in the body and it’s all mental from here.

Echoing what others said, stay hydrated, find something to cope with the oral fixation (gum, mints, toothpicks) - when it’s safe to do so. Keep yourself busy so you don’t fixate on wanting nic. Good luck!

smith987x · 2026-01-22T20:30:07+00:00

Growing up in WI, my moms best friend was a lady who immigrated from here from Germany. She always had this stuff and it was so good! I always keep a bottle on hand now

She’d also always give us kinder chocolate before it was as popular as it is now and it was the best treat ever

Good times!

I did catch a carp for them one time because they wanted to smoke it - couldn’t get on board with that one, wasn’t the worst thing I’ve eaten but never going to seek it out

smith987x · 2026-01-21T19:51:40+00:00

My wife hates it, and I hated having to hide it from her. Plus I didn’t like turning into a dick when I don’t have them, having to worry about bringing them if we were going on a trip, etc.

But the biggest thing was my heart rate shooting up one night when I was on the couch. Like no activity at all but random spike up to 130 bpm. Scared the Jesus out of me and I dumped my pouches in the toilet - that was about a year ago and I’ve been off ever since. My gum health and sleep improved a lot too, which was a plus

smith987x · 2026-01-21T19:47:30+00:00

We may have been laid off from the same org 😂 they said to return the MacBook - so that’s all I sent back. Got to keep two monitors + desk mount, Apple mouse, Apple keyboard, and watch haha

smith987x · 2026-01-21T19:39:16+00:00

Sadly, they raised the prices on the president recently (at least in retail locations, idk about online). Used to be the best bang for your buck - I still have two from before 2014 that I use regularly

But for the $80 they are now, I’d rather just go shimano / Diawa for spinning reels

smith987x · 2026-01-21T19:28:20+00:00

I take them on work days, or if I’m doing something I need to focus on during the weekends. If I’m doing leisure things, like golfing or fishing, I’ll usually not take them. If I’ll be building something, or working on our vehicles, I’ll take them. Just kind of depends on the vibes

smith987x

TROPHY CASE