I fished from the bank Saturday night for three hours and caught nothing. Since then, two other people have told me that they caught numerous fish the next day at the same spot using the same bait I was.

Now, I'm not complaining, but why is it that someone catches fish and, just a few hours earlier or later, someone else gets skunked? I'm sure one answer is, "If I knew that, I'd make a million", but I'm really interested in knowing if there's else anything I can do to catch fish when they bite for someone else but not for me.

my need to take a shower before leaving the house

Brett,here's 2 cents towards that million,some people are just lucky,my lil brother will be catching fish left and right then I'll switch places with him and nothing then he'll start pulling them in in the spot I've just left and I'll be getting blanked in his hot spot! Seriously though it may just be something they are doing a lil different you'll just have to compare notes to figure it out,might be they hold the rod in their hand and can feel the bite and you lay yours in a rod holder?You have your bait carolina rigged and theirs is drop shot rigged??I've even seen it where we will be fishing with shrimp and my bro will peel the shell off and I fish mine straight out of the box,don't worry too much about it!What is that saying even a blind squirrel will find a nut!

Conditions can change quickly. They may have not been biting at all, or something changed that put them onto that lure later. I know when bass fishing, something will work great under an overcast sky, then when the sun comes out it will shut off like a switch ane vise versa, you just have to change tactics. Think about the time of day you were there, weather and barometric pressure. That may have been the biggest difference.

Nah, I figure catfish like smelly baits, so I try to not shower for a few days before I fish. Plus it gets me out of the house more often

Brett, Rudy says it just like it is.

I have had guys in the same boat, using the same bait, with no more than the width of the boat separating them, and one side would be hauling them out one right behind the other and the other side of the boat caught a big fat zero.

There are a lot of factors that enter into this. I think kitty fishing and crappie fishing offer something that most other types of fishing doesn't offer....For example, a need for the ability to detect a bite, even when there is no detectable bite.

Plus Jay offers something to ponder as well.

Fishermen are know to exagerate, a LOT... Maybe those guys actually caught nothing or just small ones.

But, depending on water clarity, time of day, etc, small things make BIG differences.

For example, I was behind a dam using small live shad for bait with light line and I was tearing them up every cast just about. About 20 other people were there and only caught maybe 4 each while I caught over 50 easy. I noticed they did several things different. Slightly heavier line, too much weight(just one split shot makes a difference) or hooking the shad different.

They were actually starting to get upset, LOL.

Try chumming a seldom fished spot for a few days then try it. Or wait for a good rain and go up river. Always use very fresh bait. If you've had a fresh dead bait in the water for more than 20-30 minutes, change it.

This evening my five-year-old and I were sitting down to watch TV. She says, "Daddy, can we watch one of those fishing shows where they do better?" I ask, "One of those shows where they catch more fish than us, so we can learn to do it right?" She nods sympathetically and says, "Uh, huh." (We haven't had much luck recently).

Man, talk about a blow to the ol' ego.

I have fished a good 50 years and I haven't figured it out either. You can try and go about it scientific like, but that doesn't work. Now I usually fish with several rods at the same time...all rigged the same and with the same bait. One will do all the catchin. Figure that one out !
Roger

Happens to the best of us at one time or another.Can remember many a day with two of us in the boat using just plain old minnows and a small weight to get the bait down, one guy would catch the other wouldn't. No trick here, no finess needed, no magic touch, just the way it is some days.

I agree with Bigcat... try to chum in a spot that doesn't get a lot of pressure. Chum, fish that spot for about 20-30 min. If you still are not getting bites move to a different area and chum again. Then rotate back to the first area you chumed.

Fishing is best the day before you arrive and the day after you leave.