Shad_Master

Around here the weather has been screwed up all year. We had 60* days in Janurary and 30* in April. Week before last it was 105* on Friday and on Tournament Saturday it was 45* when we "blasted off". However, as the grass has begun to die down along the banks, the bass are still hanging around the area, although they are pulled back right to the end of a long cast. What I have found in recent years is that this is a good time for a shallow crank bait. I have heard, and have found to be true, "warm water, wide wobble". A Wiggle O or an Orion CB have been killers for me during the summer. For soft plastic, I try to use something with a "wigglie" tail, like a ZOOM Vibra-tail Worm or a GULP! Turtle Back Worm. It seems they need something to get them triggered. Just my $.02.

Like DDBasser says, use your imagination -- when what's supposed to work doesn't - try what's not supposed to work -- who knows?

My "test pond" is actually in a public access park. For the last several years there have not been a lot of people fishing it, but it does get steady pressure. Last year on Memorial Day the pond was literally ringed by people fishing shoulder to shoulder. Most were throwing out lines with bobbers and a few were throwing spinner baits and soft plastic T-rigged. I set up a Drop-shot rig and was outcatching everybody 3 to 1. When most of the "bait/lures" are on the bottom or top, the suspended D-S gives the fish another look and can trigger them to bite.

I wonder why more people are upset about this commercial than they are about that annoying Evinrude commercial where the guy's clothes fly off and he is wearing a pink thong? Could it be Ike? It couldn't be Skeet.

My biggest bad habit is fishing too fast. I especially get into this after catching one and find myself moving the bait too fast on the next several casts. Could it be adrenalin?

There is a pond where I fish that has weeds all around the bank -- this pond gets a lot of pressure and the fish are really skittish. One technique that I started using last year with some great results was "crashing" a shallow crank bait into the weeds. I would make a long cast and then reel it in until it started getting hung up. You have to spend a lot of time picking the weeds and "gorilla snot" off the lure but it is something that they are not used to seeing. You may also want to have a T-rigged worm ready to throw back in if they don't get hooked up the first time.

Again, not trying to hijack the thread, but this relates to a question I posted a few weeks back and the responses (while appreciated) didn't really get to the answer. Can you establish a pattern on just one fish? In other words if I catch a fish on a wind-blown stump with hydrilla on one side, is this enough to make me concentrate on this pattern or do I need to be able to repeat that on another part of the lake in order to feel that I have a "pattern"?

If your'e having trouble getting hit on a frog/rat - try using a small bait like a Senko or Ring Fry fished weightless. Throw it up on the mat and twitch it along until you come to a hole in the weeds and just let it flutter down. Sometimes they will blow up through the weeds to grab it, just like a frog/rat.

I've had just the opposite experience - I find them to be very weedless. Now I haven't pulled 'em through a christmas tree brush pile, but on regular lake weeds it zips right through and if you do get "gorilla snot" on your bait the vibration slings it off and it comes back fairly clean.

What I am referring to is pulling the bait (Chatter bait in this instance) toward you by lifting the rod - then kill it and let it fall while reeling in the slack. Some people call this horizontal jigging.

Don't overlook the possibility of joining a club -- you have to check them out first and make sure that it is a club the "welcomes" beginners -- I have learned more in the last four years since joining my club than I though possible.

Read everything you can get your hands on -- look around for a local club that is more interested in fun than strict competition -- watch all the fishing shows (tape them and re-watch them - you'll be surprised what you missed the first time) -- but nothing can compare with time on the water/bank. Senkos are a good place to start as avid said, but you will want to have a variety of lures and baits so that you can begin to learn as you spend more time. But probably the best advice I could give you is keep it fun and try to learn something each time you go out.

I have a couple of ponds and lakes that I fish from bank on a regular basis. I use them like a labratory to test out different lures and techniques. Over time, I have learned what "works" at each one -- but mostly through trial and error. When I hear about a new lure, I take it and try it out. I some times learn more about what didn't work and why by sticking to this method and this helps me to refine my techniques for later on when fishing a club tournament or a day in my boat. If I hit on a pattern at one lake, I will try it out on another - if it holds up, I will try it out on the lake. All fishing should be fun, but bank fishing it strictly fun for me and I never come away disappointed.

However, don't limit your selection or you will anger the bait monkey -- check out the Jewell Spinnerbait in bluegill -- I have been having some good luck with this in areas were the BG's are plentiful

Always wear your PFD especially when the boat is under power

Like a Senko is a pretty good description -- use a sweeping motion to the side with your rod and then pause to let the lure settle down before sweeping again. Keep a fairly tight line on your main line so that you can feel the strikes and then use a sweeping hookset.

When it rains the fish get wet ;D No seriously what fishermen (and their wives) call poor weather conditions can cause the fish to turn on rather than turn off. I fished in a tournament two weeks ago - it was raining when we got to the lake and rained all day until 1 hour before weigh-in. The fish were biting like crazy and there were several patterns that held up throughout the day. Last year, I fished a tournament where two days before it was raining and wind blowing and we were getting bit on everything - then on tournament day the skies cleared and there was no wind at all. 14 out of 25 fishermen blanked on the day.

A similar thing happened to one of the guys on another forum that I am on -- he took pictures with his cell phone camera, including the guy's license plate number and reported it to DNR. The guy was issued a ticket after the fact and told he could fight it in court, but that there was a witness. The guy paid up.

That's what I'm wondering though -- I know that fish will orient to cover/structure differently at different times -- I'm trying to figure out how much information you need to "establish" at pattern. Often times it seems like it is just hunt and peck, but I hear so much talk about patterns. I'm trying to figure out how to do it not necessarily what it is.

Not trying to hijack the thread, just trying to keep the discussion going -- how long does it take for you to feel that you have established a pattern? If you hit two fish in the same area, is that enough? or do you have to repeat that in a different area. For instance, I was fishing a club tournament a couple of weeks ago in a lake that is really on fire this time of year. My partner and I knew that fish tend to hold in this particular cove and we had the #1 blast off position so we headed in and began throwing a variety of lures (junk) until he started getting hit on plastic worms in the reeds. We caught several fish in this area and then moved to another area that was similar that also had reeds and got nothing. At the end of the day, the winners declared the pattern to be rocky banks which we did not fish until later in the day without any success. What are your thoughts on how long it takes to identify the pattern?

I have a 1988 45 hp Mercury. When I first put it in the water it starts right up and will run all over the lake, but after I shut it down it won't start again. I have not figured out how long it takes it to recover. I tried running Sea Foam through it with the same results. Any ideas?

Just a minor variation on the original question -- I will be fishing a very shallow lake tomorrow in a tournament. The water depths are generally about 4-5 feet in the areas where the bass are normally set up this time of year, but it rained all night last night with 1" of rain predicted today. Supposed to rain all day tomorrow as well. I know that this will cause the fish to pull out deeper than normal, but wonder how far they will travel to get to "deeper" water. There are some 12' - 15' depths on the upper end of the lake (probably 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the "sweet spot"). Will the bass travel that far or will they just hunker down in their normal depths?

In the history of my local bass club there is the lore of the "stake bed" tournament on a particular lake that we fish a lot. As the story goes, this was before my time, the boats were all gathered around the stake beds and everybody was catching fish -- the tournament was won on this spot. Since I have been associated with the club (as a non-boater) the tradition has been for the first blast position to head there and every boat in the tournament ends up there some time during the day. I can't say that I have had much luck there, but the feeling is that the bass will move in on the blue gill and crappie that are attracted to the stakes and become active feeders.

For me the difference is in the presentation. I think of "power" fishing as moving baits and covering water. Spinner baits and cranks are for this purpose, although each can be "finesse" fished. Finesse fishing is usually associated with smaller baits that are presented in a subtle way (drop shot, C-rig, maybe a jig). I do think there is a middle ground that is not coverd by these two categories, such as soft jerk bait or fluke fishing -- maybe we should come up with a new category. What do you think?

Another thing to think about when fishing marinas is if there are tournaments on the lake that release their fish at the marina. A lot of them will head back to their home gournds, but a lot will also stay in that area. That is why some tournaments post the marina as off limits. Marinas can be awsome fish holding spots especially if there is a cove close by. It is surprising how little these critters seem to be bothered by the launch traffic.