aclark609

I rarely and I mean RARELY have seen a keeper fish just thump thump on a bait. If you watch bass feed they don't pick up the bait with their mouth. They inhale it. I'm gonna venture to say it was a bluegill. However, if you wait a while to set the hook, a fish could spit the bait. A half of a strike king zero is an easy meal for any bass to inhale. Bluegills also tend to hit your bait as soon as they see it hit the water.

I really like to be out on the water as the sun is rising. Especially in the warmer months.

It's hard to say, but lately it's been a War Eagle double willow spinnerbait. The Super Spook is up there too along with a jerkbait when the time is right.

Try using bigger baits. If I knew there were large bass in the pond, I would throw some large swimbaits. Although there may not be any large forage for the bass in the pond (besides other smaller bass), the swimbait will still pull a big bite. Be VERY patient. Work the bait as slow as possible. Try to find one that you can work slow without digging into the slime. Perhaps a large wakebait of sorts or maybe a Hudd 0 or Hudd 5. Also, ponds can be extremely easy to pick out where the bass are bedding. Find areas with hard bottoms.

crankbait or topwater.

wildernet.com will have the creek and mainlake channels outlined for you. Find your lake and click the my topo option on the map.

I fish a large reservoir as well. A topo map helps me a whole lot. Finding the creek and main lake channel and places where they touch points, bluffs, and etc. has proven to be quite successful. However, spots on the map are much larger and harder to cover once you get out there on the water. If you don't already own a boat and a good sonar unit, I'd save up and buy them as soon as possible. Aside from a topo map, it's good to ask some locals. Good Luck

Green pumpkin

If there is a reason those bass relate to that paticular roadbed, they may leave that area only to spawn. Bass will travel to where they need to and no further. However, they still may find a reason to go shallow in the morning. It's circumstantial. Try to figure it out. You might learn something that could benefit you in various places throughout your lake.

Were you throwin swimbaits?

I've been pondering on throwing 6'' hudds and maybe even 8" hudds here on Bull Shoals Reservoir for a while now. Both of Arkansas's spotted bass and smallmouth bass state records come from this lake along with Missouri's Largemouth Bass state record of over 13 pounds. Does anybody have any tips on throwing big baits on this highland reservoir? It's clear ( 10' visibility during summer and fall) and deep (75' average depth). Some larger forage for big bass in this lake are Gizzard Shad, smaller bass, baby carp, bullhead catfish, along with baby flathead and channel catfish.

Weight depends on where you are fishing; however, 3/8 - 1/2 oz are pretty good all around weights. One thing about jigs is . . . you're gonna lose them so I recommend buying your skirts and jig heads seperate from tackle warehouse or fishing skirts. You'll end up spending about half as much as you would buying them already put together. As for the rod, I like at least a 7 foot heavy action rod. It's important to be able to drive the hook on long casts or any time you would have a lot of line out, and the long heavy action rod helps a lot. Also you don't want your rod to be a broomstick. You want a good bend to keep fish hooked up. As far as rods, Dobyn's is my choice. The Savvy series is a lot cheaper and still has great sensitivity and a perfect bend for fighting fish. As previously stated. you might go a while without a bite but jig bites are generally bigger bites. Good Luck.

Bass are ambush predators; therefore, they find nifty little hiding spots where they can pop out and grab a quick meal. A lot of times your crankbait just pops out in front of their ambush spot, and they grab it. Power fishing doesn't give the bass a lot of time to observe your lure. Regardless of whether or not your crankbait has a crawfish or shad pattern painted on it, sometimes the bass just react and bite it.

I try not to put myself in positions where I have to set the hook to the left.

The Buffalo is good, but you cannot beat Crooked Creek. The place is unbelievable. 16-18 inch smallies can come in the dozens sometimes. I have my secrets for that creek, and I'm not telling anyone. I will tell you my favorite float for that creek is Pyatt to Snow. About a half day, but you can make it a full day if you fish it hard enough. There are canoe takeouts in both places.

I find dragging it along the bottom with a horizontal sweep gets bit well and let you feel what's on the bottom really well. Helps a lot for deep structure.

It just depends really. If the fish hits the bait hard, I swing for the fences almost immediately. Most of the time with soft plastics I'll lift the rod to feel the weight then reel down quickly and drive it home. It's probably not that you aren't getting the hook as deep as you would like. It's probably one of two things: you're not driving the hook hard enough or you're not keeping enough pressure on the fish during the fight.

Try a weedless topwater bait or a hollow belly rigged with a belly weighted hook reeled straight through the thick stuff.

I've read that larger bass will feed on smaller bass. In fact, I can remember catching a seven pounder on a rapala xrap in the pattern that looks very similar to a baby bass.

From my own personal experience, big baits can catch fish of all sizes. I've caught bluegills on ten inch worms on more than one occasion. For the most part, however, bigger baits produce larger bass. Just don't get discouraged if you don't get any bites for long periods of time.

Probably the most addictive bite in bass fishing. Well, at least to me.

I generally like to fish alone, but going out with the people I love and seeing them hook a big one is always great. . . . . . they say I get more excited than they do. lol

This is true, but i've tried it with some success. It really only works if you don't pause the lure for very long or if you work it really fast trying to cover water.

Well chances are you ARE consistently finding fish but they just aren't biting. Fish are everywhere in our lakes. I like to go out, catch a keeper or two, then use the details of where I caught them to pattern them throughout the lake. It's pretty much a guaranteed limit if you'll burn the gas to do it. The difference between a big limit and a little one is noticing subtleties in the details of how you're catching them and sometimes a little luck.

Rebel F30s minnow in Gold/Black. They quit making them, but I still have a few. Burn it, twitch it on top, or fish it like a jerkbait. Kills in shallow clear water.