Post bass fishing tips here

[huntinsonovagun]

I'm more of a hunter than I am a fisherman, but I still enjoy casting a few lines from time to time. I just don't have the patience to cast and cast without catching anything. (Kinda weird....I can sit hours at a time in a treestand for 3 months of the year, but get bored fishing in 30 minutes with no bites) I grew up with a pond 25 feet from my house, literally. Fished quite a bit, but fishing gets old when you can do it any time you want, or it got old at that time in my life.....

Anyway, post some tips that help you catch more largemouths. Time of day, colors, lures, techniques, etc.... Let's hear them.....

[BLH]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

First and last hour or two of the day is the best, kind of like deer hunting. If you just want to catch a lot, try topwater around dawn and dusk or softplastics without any weight under shoreline brush. Just take a look around the lake or pond and find out what kind of bait is prevelant (crawfish, lizards, etc...) that will give you an indication of the best softplastic to use.

[huntinsonovagun]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

Good advice, BLH. Keep it coming!

[whttlbucksteve]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

I use soft plastics made with YUM in them they work the best give them a try.And top water is always fun to watch them attack try the BERKLEY frenzy popper.

[Guest hookedonhunting]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

I caught and 8 1/2 pounder on a black with blue tail zoom lizard the other day. black with red sparkles is another choice.

Strike Kings 3x works great on a carolina rig.I caught 25-30 bass on one 1 lizard two weeks ago.You cant hardly tear them up.

topwater is great around dusk and dawn.

Good luck!

[Tominator]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

Surefire way to catch bass at this one particular pond I used to go to is to take a crawler and hook it to a worm harness, with a little trailer hook off the tail, throw a couple split shots forward of the worm, cast it, and 9 times out of 10 you'll get a hit before it even hits the bottom. If it does hit the bottom, drag it real slow across the bottom--this is where you have to "feel" the bottom.

Guaranteed fish right there.

[total disaster]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

I know to catch the big smallies here we have to fish SLOW I mean when ya think you are fishing slow, slow down more we drag tubes alot and fish senkos wacky riggerd slow and as others have said be on the lake atround sun up or sun down and throw some topwaters

[DU_man_84]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

i love fishing spinnerbaits along shallow shorlines with lots of cover, like bumping them off logs, also love fishing texas rigged tubes and worms and also bass jigs, and for topwater i go with excalibur spit N image, hula poppers and definately buzzbaits,

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

I replace the FRONT treble hook on almost all of my crankbaits and topwaters with a red hook. It seems to make the bass strike the front of the lure instead of the rear, resulting in more solid hookups.

[Guest lovinbowhuntin247365]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

good tip texan ... heres a basic one that i follow, and almost never go a day without a fish: bright lures on a bright day, dark lures on a dark day .. and by that i mean natural colors on darker days will work better than a brighter, attractant color .. but on a bright day, an attractand color or somethin shiny jsut below the surface will entice jsut about any largie to hit .. any topwater will work when the wters warm enough, but i like a walk-the-dog type bait, like a Zara Spook, or the Excalibut Spit-N-Image, always in natural colors .... they reflect on abright day on the surface, and they dont on a dark day ... just the way i work ... like, use a largemouth pattern on a dark day, and a shad pattern on a bright day ... always follow that pattern though ... light on light, dark on dark, and youll catch fish

[LifeNRA]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

When fishing for bass at night use a blacklight along with a floresence line, 12 pound test line looks like 1/4" rope when hit by a blacklight. This makes it easier to see the strike just like the daytime! I have two blacklights, one is battery powered(8 "D" cells), the other I use on the boat which is longer 18" bulb. Use these lights when throwing a plastic worm or a jig-n-pig, or tubes, anything that requires a lifting motion like when jig or worm fishing.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

When fising docks, don't forget to check the water out away from the dock. A lot of people place brushpiles somewhere near their docks to attract fish.

[Guest PSEHUNTER087]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

When you've got a pond or a lake where you know the bass are but it is too weedy to get, buy a topwater buzz bait and rip it through the weeds you are sure to rouse the monsters that way, it has worked for me countless times for some lunker bass and northern

[LifeNRA]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

When fishing a spinnerbait or buzzbait and you experience short strikers, add a stinger hook! If fishing around weeds keep the stinger hook point UP, in order to be more weedless! If in open water, turn the hook point DOWN! This will increase your hooking ratio by more than half! Also, try to take notice what the size of baitfish are in that particular water. Then if you have them, change the blade size to try and match the size of forage. If you don't have different sizes with you. In the spring of the year start out small, late spring go with a medium size blade, summer go large. But sometimes even in the spring you can catch bass with large blades by getting them mad enough to strike!

When river fishing for bass, try to find a few crayfish to see what color they are at that time of year. Once you know the color, imitate that color! Crayfish change colors through-out the year when they loose their outer shells for the new one to take over!

I could keep going here! LMBO!!!!!

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

When fishing a Carolina Rig, don't be afraid to adjust the length of your leader. I've fished rigs with leaders as short as 10 inches and as long as 6 feet. As a general rule, use shorter leaders when fishing around rocks and brush and longer leaders around grass and weeds.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

If your plastic baits get wet and fade, don't throw them away. Spread them out on a towel in the sun for a couple of hours and the color will come back.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

If you see bass following your crankbait but they're not hitting it, try a stop and go retreive. A lot of times a bass will hit a bait it's following if the bait suddenly stops. And be prepaired for a light tap similar to what you typically get on a plastic worm. When you feel the tap, set the hook hard.

[LifeNRA]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

If your fishing partner is battling a bass and you see more following the hooked fish, throw in another bait! Sometime the other bass think the food that was in the hooked fish got free! Bingo, DOUBLE!

[ultratec1]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

[ QUOTE ]

If your plastic baits get wet and fade, don't throw them away. Spread them out on a towel in the sun for a couple of hours and the color will come back.

[/ QUOTE ]

I never knew that, I've been throwing them away.

I use to love Texas riggin my worms but have now gone to a Wacky worm rig. This has doubled the strikes.

[tp793]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

what about any tips for colder water fishing?

[LifeNRA]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

HOOKS!!!

Cant believe I forgot this one! SHARPEN YOUR HOOKS!!! Most hooks that come out of a package are not sharp enough for me! I use a small hook sharpener. I make them hooks that sharp, if you take your fingernail and hold it vertically, the hook point should start to dig in when you slide it down the nail. The point of the hook point is less than a 45 degree angle when testing the sharpness.

Just riding back and forth to your fishing spots on land and in water can make your points dull. So check your hooks points!

[LifeNRA]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

LINE & KNOTS

LINE

Check your line often for nicks, scratches, and cuts! This is the most reason fish break off! Because there was a slight nick or cut in the line that the fisherman didn't see! Also, change your line often!!! I buy the big bulk spools, YES THEY ARE EXPENSIVE AT FIRST! But in the long run, you will be saving TONS OF MONEY. Instead of having a tackle shop do it! Just what they charge here around my area for 12 pound test Stren Clear-Blu Flo.,

.04 cent a yard times that by 2600 yards = $104

For that same 2600 yard spool at Bass Pro, $35!

Thats more than a 200% profit!!!

I laugh sometimes when I hear guys saying about they had a bass break off their line so it must have been HUGE!!! LOL! Either that or they are using 4 pound test!

When fishing in a weedy lake, your line is dragging along the weeds causing abrasions into the line itself. Check every so often, just pinch the line lightly between your fingers and pull the lure away about ten feet. Do this more frequently when fishing in rocks or rivers!

When installing the line on your reels, make sure the line comes off the spool the same way it goes onto your reel!!!

For spinning reels, after a few turns of the reel, STOP! Open the bail and pull a few feet of line off the reel. If it stays in a nice bend, continue loading the reel. IF ITS STARTS TO TWIST, TURN THE SPOOL OVER TO THE OTHER END!!! This way you will not get any birds nests on the water coming from the reel!!! NEVER USE A SCREW DRIVER OR PENCIL IN THE SPOOL AND LET THE LINE ROLL OFF THE SPOOL TO THE REEL!

For baitcasters, the line coming off the spool should come toward you, THIS IS THE ONLY TIME YOU SHOULD USE SOMETHING IN THE SPOOL ITSELF, AND LET THE SPOOL ROLL FREELY!

I load my reels 1/16th to 1/8" to the end of the reel spool.

KNOTS - THE WEAKEST LINK!

Learn to tie a few knots for different types of fishing! The Improved Cinch knot and the palomar knot is the two I use the most. When cinching down the knot, lubricate with water or saliva. Using a knot with a high strength capacity will keep more fish on the line!

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

[ QUOTE ]

what about any tips for colder water fishing?

[/ QUOTE ]

In the Fall when water temps start going down, the shad will take on a blueish tint. At this time, blue backed crankbaits or soft plastics with some blue in them work well.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

When throwing soft plastic jerkbaits like a Fluke or Sluggo, you can adjust the speed of the fall by changing hook size and/or type. A large heavy wire hook will add more weight and make the bait sink faster. You typically want that if you're trying to fish the bait fast. A smaller thin wire hook will make the bait sink slower. That's usually better for a slower presentation.

[LifeNRA]

Re: Post bass fishing tips here

Fishing crankbaits, vary your retrieve until you find something the bass like! Also, remember the depth you were catching the fish at! You can also change the diameter of the line to make the crankbait go deeper or higher. Heavier line will keep the crankbait up, lighter line will let the bait go deeper. You can also use a Loop knot to get more action from your cranks! This applies to hard jerkbaits as well!