I like to do it, I'm just not good at it.

Won more tournaments sight fishing than any other technique. Just got to know when to do it and when not to.

I like blind casting where I know beds are-If I see a fat girl, I'll stop and pester.

Me and old tournament partner Kenny were fishing a tournament on Fork once and came across a big fish locked on a bed. Worked on that fish for about an hour. Kenny hooked her twice and she pulled off each time. Finally on the third bite Kenny got her to the boat. We were excited to be taking in an over the slot fish to weigh in.
Measured her - 1/8" too short.
I personally like to bed fish and learned a lot from the old Fork guys in the 90's and if I can't get a fish to bite in about 10 to 15 minutes I am heading on knowing there will be other bed fish available.

I will bed fish if that seems the best option at the time but definitely not my favorite way to fish. We shared a lake house at Fork for 10 years the first couple I was really into bed fishing then decided I much preferred pre-spawan and post spawn over pulling them off the beds. If I am going to bed fish I much prefer beds that are in a little deeper water where you can barely make out the fish. Seems they bit a lot easier or at least that is my experience.

That was fun!

I see bed fishing as a very rare chance to see a bass and be able to observe it for a while. If the fish is small I usually pass on by but a bigger fish I see as a challenge and one that doesn't happen all that often. While I love spinnerbait/chatterbait fishing shallow or a c-rig 20' deep nothing compares to seeing a 5lb+ bass flare on a bait in the bed!! I've spent thousands of hours fishing and still get the tingles when that happens! If that ever goes away I'll quit fishing...

I love it, its like being a puppet master. once you learn the dance then you can make a bass lock down on the sweet spot and bite. that's the funnest part to me is getting them to lock down when they just spook for everyone else. there is a secret to it. those that hate it just haven't gotten into the fishes mind yet.

btw dan, polls are for downstairs...

Dan, once you figure out the difference in a catchable bed fish and a non catchable bed fish you will likely change your mind. Once you get to the point where you can tell for sure you wont be wasting 4 hrs on one fish.
1. pull up when you see one and watch for a minute to see if they are staying within 4 or 5 ft of the bed.
2. pitch in there a few times and see if they still stay within 4 or 5 feet of the bed.
3. if the move and come back fairly quickly you can catch him.
4. if you are flipping for more than 5 minutes without interest as you mentioned with the pink worm, switch to a t-rig craw or a jig, flip/reel/flip/reel then let it sit and jerk it up and smack them with it. Even if they are looking at it and you think you need to be still don't. Pop him with it and throw it right back in and they will likely grab it before it hits the bed on the next one.

I hate it in a tournament. Love it for fun.

LC Bridges, family friend since before the 40�s and original owner of Oak Ridge Marina, once told me he didn�t like to disturb bedding bass. Said it just didn�t seem right to do that while their trying to do their natural reproductive thing. That was around 1987. I haven�t bed fished since and usually stay off the lake during spawn anyway just because of the pressure.

To each, his own.

It is not that I don�t like it but I haven�t had much luck catching fish I can see. I also seem to have better luck catching prespawn and post spawn fish.

Forget which pro said it but if you are fishing for spawning fish you are fishing for the smallest population of fish on the lake.

I feel pretty good about my ability to read the fish and determine if its a player or not pretty quickly. Never really spent more than about 45 minutes on any one fish, and that one was a TOAD!

A couple of springs ago on Fork I saw a 10lber cruising a spawning flat with a smaller male. She was really spooky and not on a bed but she seemed to stay in that general area. Checked on her periodically the next couple of days but nothing had changed. She was not on a bed. Finally about mid day on Day 3 she locked down. Went over and caught the male real quick the first time on a Texas rigged creature bait
Let him go and then started working her. She was not having any interest in a craw or creature bait other than running up on it when I got near the sweet spot on the bed. She would nose down on it but never take it. Tied on a swimbait I use for bed fishing that is basically like a flipping jig molded in a gill type body. Has a big 6/0 stout hook and made from ultra soft plastic. Swam it over the bed and she swam off. I let her come back and threw it past her and as I brought it by she had no interest at all even as I let it nose down on the sweet spot. Still nothing. The last cast I swam it over the bed and it got just past the bed she launched at it like a missile and crushed it. I landed her, took a picture and quickly let her go and then came back a time or three just to sit and watch her that day and the next. I never threw again at her. No one else had messed with her I guess as she did her thing and eventually left. Cool week for sure and I learned a ton by watching her.