Every been in a slump and couldn't figure how to get out of it? I have been in a slump for months.

Setting the hook time after time and coming up empty, I had to re-evaluate what i was doing and just figure it out. First thing I did was go to braid with a floro leader (Albright w/ San Diego Jam worked perfect). I could not believe the difference in the sensitivity being a 15 lbs big game guy my whole life. Next thing I did was loosen my drag slightly. When I set the hook, I use every muscle in my body like trying to power clean 300 lbs.....I can now hear and feel my drag give a little on hook set and I think that is allowing some give so I don't destroy a fishes mouth on hookset. Thirdly I took my favorite soft plastic that I had confidence in and went to a spot that I had some success at previously. I fished the same stretch of 200 yards as slowly and patiently as I could for 3 hours.

The results on my first trip out after re-thinking my strategy was 5 best going for 31 lbs. Big fish going 8 lbs 10 oz. Over 50 lbs of fish in 3 hours.

Sometimes to get out of a slump you need to just relax and go fish, and sometimes you really need to re-evaluate from top to bottom what you are doing and change it.

Good luck, and hopefully you will not have to endure any slumps

Greg

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Way to go Greg. You did good, most people would have just written it off or just kept force feeding them their usual techniques.

If you don't mind me asking, please describe your C-Rig set up; length of leader, beads, clacker, swivel, size of weight, size of hook, and bait you were using??

I have been in a slump for 10 years, or I just suck. Not sure which.

Interesting you ask that question.
50 lbs power pro green braid for my visibility to a 4 ft copolymer 15 lbs green moss Pline leader. I had confidence in the albright knot from braid to copolymer but I did not have confidence in the copolymer to hook. The first 2 bites, I lost my hook on hook set, so I decided to back off my drag slightly and change knots. I started with a polamar knot, then trilene knot. Finally after the 2nd lost shaky head due to knot failure (I have a small water bottle I spray my knots with to moisten with clean water) I switched to a san diego jam knot and it held. I lost my 3rd bite on a shaky head with a green rattlesnake. The hook was straighted out on my shaky head. Never had that happened before even on Fork. I then switched to a T-Rigged with a black 3/16 oz bullet with a 7/0 Trokar with a green rattleshake.....I was not about to lose another fish to a straightened hook. So the set up that was effective, didn't lose another fish the rest of the night was:
Allstar Heavy/Fast flipping rod
Curado Reel
50 lbs. green power pro
15 lbs green moss Pline copolymer with the San Diego Jam to
7/0 Trokar 3/16 oz black bullet with a green rattlesnake.

So you are running a 4 foot leader to fish a shakey head and T-Rig. Do you uses the same set up for a C-Rig?

No, this was my first venture into the braid/floro or copolymer set up. I had always drank the koolaid that braid was bad for the rod and that is was not an easy line to cast. I found the 50 lbs power pro to be just as easy to flip and cast than any mono I have ever used. I like the 4 foot leader too, I could see my knot as I was working it through cover and that let me know where my bait was in reference to the cover I was working. I would think that a C-Rig with that set up would be perfect although some like a mono leader as well. I didn't use rattles, clackers, beads, swivel.

Hey me too!

As far as the koolaid you drank, there was some truth too it, the braid will destroy a rod if you let it. Braid will allow you to reel in some of the things you may hang up on such as a trot line. I really wanted my rig back so i kept on crankin! Got my rig, + a new rod when i returned the "defective" one to the store! lol

my current slump has only been since 2008.

I see what you did there

I had a long slump a few years ago, so I went out with that hefty chick.


in all seriousness I am in a bad slump but I am taking some time off from fishing and will give it a go again with a fresh look.

I'm in a terrible slump on Rayburn. Other than that I'm good. But Rayburn...it's got me up at nights

my life is a slump

I don't always get into a slump, but when I do it's always at the same lake.
I'm starting to think it's all about location, location, location.... (there's gotta be some fish there).

Warrior Poet,

I bought a weekend house in Rayburn country with the plan to fish all the time and then some days can't buy a fish or when you catch one its about the same size as the swimbaits I used to throw on Falcon. As far as the fishing all the time, I would have never guessed my wife would have turned a 2 bedroom weekend house into a full time decorating project and grass mowing.

So what I do when I'm at Rayburn to keep my fishing slump from keeping me up............I just drink !!

I hear you man. I'm wanting to do the same thing on Toledo one day in the future. I'll never write Big Sam completely off, I love it there, but my god it has been hard fishing there for the past few years.