Many old school techniques are being lost everyday. I have made it a point my whole life to fish with as many of what I call, The Old Masters. With the new technology comes new ways, with some being as good as it gets and saving tons of time, that us old timers would normally put time on the water to catch fish. I was just wondering if any of you guys are making it a point to teach some of these techniques to others so they can be carried forward and not forgotten?

I teach classes here at the house on Bass Fishing and would like to hear some of your topics that could be covered during the day. I am always afraid that I will leave something out that must be taught on baits, techniques and rigging. I also have this firm belief that; on the one day that you loaded the boat with fish, this happened because of a reason and can be repeated under the right conditions. Your success stories count for more than you know. Please share those experiences; because if you keep those to yourself they will be lost forever. Most of the time it is those little things that make all the difference in catching or not catching.

When I used to flounder fish as a passion from mid Sept to Dec, I picked up a few tips that transitioned over to bass. Big one was watching the bait and signs of presence. We never floundered where we saw no.bait. period. Not getting over complicated with colors, ( and I just ordered several from you, but will narrow that down shortly), Keeping detailed logs, which I did a poor job of this year, and looking back at them. Those old saltwater logs I have are worth a lot to me, I plan to put them all together one day to give to my daughter, along with every license I have bought since 1998. These are a few that come to mind.

Texas rig

I'm almost 70 yrs. old. Been Bass fishing for as long as I can remember. It has been my experience that today's younger people either don't have the time to learn from their elders or they think they know it all already. There are things I did in the 70's & 80's that I still use today and they still work. Give me an Ambassador reel, 17 lb. mono, and a white spinner bait and I'll catch fish and I don't need a $70,000 boat full of electronics to do it. Caught my PB, 9.6, in 2010 on a $1.00 white spinner bait from Walmart. I'm trying to teach my sons most of what I know. It's up to them to use the information I give them.

Triangulate your position with visual references instead of relying on GPS
Slider rig
Lots of different spinner bait techniques that have almost disappeared over the years.

I know most of those spinner bait techniques; but some times have trouble putting the right terminology for them so they will stick in the fisherman's mind so they can be recalled. Can you list the one's you know with a short description. Thanks for helping.

Those that come to mind
--pitching a heavy spinnerbait like a jig and have it helicopter down vertically
--size, shape, and color of blades for particular conditions/baitfish
--varying the trailer type, size, shape, color; again depending on conditions/baitfish
--how to make a spinnerbait run more shallow, how bending the blades a bit more affects the vibrations, how to make them run more weedless, etc.

For the most part, publications will elaborate on the new techniques, pushing the new products; while the classic lures (like spinnerbaits) get very little mention.

If you are strictly talking about big bass fishing. These topics which are not often discussed come to mind: Stitching. Fishing "uphill". Then the two naughty words... Trolling and live bait.

Thanks for sharing all your thoughts guys.

Mr. Purdue, one of my best days on Ivie was fishing Up-Hill. We were fishing pretty slow; but way short of Stiching in a 25 mph. wind.

Stiching sounds like something ole bill murphy used to do in San Diego

Yep, not sure if Bill invented the concept or not, but he certainly popularized it.

Bill made it popular using live crawfish and old hand pour worms with only a split shot as weight.

Here is one that I learned from an old guide in Ky.. How to tune a crank bait to run off center line and where it is most effective.

That sounds like how a legend taught me to fish them... tune it to run under the tires, docks or other stuff

Creme purple worm very small split shot 6 inch up from worm, frog color heddon chegger, black / white H & H