I think back to when I started using artificials. to catch my first keeper bass, and remember the difficulties I had,....the days turned into months, and finally years.....

Because I have to be quite honest here....
I have been fishing for striped bass since I was 10 years old....
And caught plenty of them using clams and other bait....

But once I made the transition to artificials....
It took me two years of effort to catch my first keeper bass....

Plenty of short fish, bluefish, and "almost" keepers during that time...
But I really didn't understand the big picture, and didn't have enough skill to know about time, tides, moon phases, where fish were feeding in the water column, and most importantly, presentation skills.











And, there was no internet to help me, had to do it all by trial and error, and some mentors I was lucky enough to meet along the way.....