BigOnFishin

Focus on long points leading into the main lake. Right now, throwing something like a shad rap all around those points should work wonders if its done right. If you run into any schools of shad, try throwing any of your shad immitating lures through, around and underneath the school from different angles. Some bass will travel with these schools as their home because it is an easy source of food and its good cover. Plus, they will be waiting to pick off any stragglers/dying shad. You can also start throwing any crawfish immitating crankbaits that run about 6 to 8 feet deep. once it starts warming up i would throw something like a spinnerbait to see if they are ready for that yet. If they seem to be staying down in the deeper water, I would try a carolina rig with a Zoom WaterMelon Candy Baby Brush Hog. You would have to fish it pretty slow, but dragging it around those points should get you a few bites. If all else fails and the water still seems to cold to get the fish going, throw a suspending jerkbait or a jig. Good luck!

Wow! Thank you for the detailed explanation! That is exactly what i was looking for.

This is a cove in the northern part of Smith Mountain Lake. The cove is about 10 feet deep with a sand/grass flat in the back end. Plenty of rocks on one side of the cove with over hanging trees on the other. One boat ramp and dock and the water is slightly stained. This spot has some baot activity but it does not get pressured by many BASS fisherman. There are a few crappy and catfish fisherman that are around there for the most part. The shad and other bait fish have been flicking the surface and there are bluegill swiming near the shore. I caught one fish the other day with a crawdad sticking out of it's gullet, so I know they could be chasing a jig. I guess what i was trying to get at was that when i went and caught fish a few days prior to this post and caught several (on a day that the calendar said was "fair") and then the next few days after that caught one (on the days that the calendar said was "best")

For about the past two weeks we have had comfortable temperatures around the 70s during the day, but at night the temps will drop to the 40s. The almanac has been saying that the best time to fish is right around sunrise and sunset. However, i have only been having luck around 4 in the afternoon. The bass around here i believe are in the prespawn/spawn mode where there are occasional cruisers that i will catch in 3ft of water on a squarebill. I cant seem to figure out the pattern of these fish. I've thrown just about all i can think of including spinnerbaits, 10inch worms, squarebills, jerkbaits, jigs, etc.. And like i said, the few fish i have caught have been on the squarebill. Any help on what to do in this situation will help. Thanks in advance.

Are there any trees along the shore at all? Or is it just a pond in a field?

Fish #1 State- Virginia Water Depth- 5ft Lure/Technique- Slow rolling a Strike King KVD Finesse Spinnerbait in Blue Gizzard Shad color Structure/Cover- Point of a brush pile Weight and/or Length- 7.43 Pounds Fish #2 State- Virginia Water depth- 2ft Lure/Technique- Strike King Tour Grade Football Jig In PB&J color with Baby Rage Craw trailor Structure/Cover- Spawning Bed Weight and/or Length- 9.26 Pounds

I have been fishing at one of my buddies ponds and have been catching good numbers of smaller bass(most likely males). However, i have seen atleast two pretty hefty females swimming around pretty shallow but i just can not get them to strike. I have been throwing a Watermelon Senko and a smaller Carolina Rig but they keep spooking. Any tips on how to get her to strike without scaring her off? My first thought is taking the little boat out and casting from behind her, but that doesnt eliminate the spook factor from the bait hitting the water. Any tips on bait presentation and bait selection would help tremendously. Thanks

I've gotta say, this season is looking pretty good. The past few days have been warmer and i've been catching good numbers. I've mainly been throwing spinnerbaits and weightless Zoom Lizards in Watermelon Candy color. I caught about 16 yesterday, then today i hooked up with what i though was a nice bass but turned out to be a 5 pound brook trout... on a KVD Finesse Spinnerbait.. CRAZY! Anyways, how is everyone elses spring bassin' going? And any suggestions on what to throw to catch QUALITY fish rather than big numbers? Feel free to share your current favorite bait and where your throwing it as well please. Tight lines!

Since there is not a lot of grass, Jigs or Texas rigged lures (flukes, salamanders, worms) will work great without getting covered in muck. Start out with smaller and lighter jigs. The lighter the jig, the slower it will fall through the water. As it gets warmer, you'll get more bites. Jigs can be fished year round because bass are out deep in the winter and in the blistering heat of mid-summer, and in the spring jigs can be fished through the spawning beds. Texas rigged soft plastics are also popular year round whether you rig them with a bullet weight or weightless. If the fish and the bite has slowed down, you need to slow down as well. A weighless texas rig can swim slowly, allowing the fish to grab an "easy meal" without having to use too much energy. Hope this helps. Good luck!

I have been fishing for quite some time now and I would say that i am at that level of experience where fishing from the shore just isnt good enough anymore. HOWEVER, i can not handle a boat right now. I start college next year, money is always a factor, storage, etc. What should i do? I fish the Smith Mountain Lake area, mainly the northern part. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Yeah i tried throwing a 4" Senko in the bubblegum, blue and black, and watermellon color but didnt have any luck on those.. going to give them a try today at carvins cove

Yeah. my buddy was throwing a squarebill and had a couple. I was throwing a Strike King KVD Finesse spinnerbait with double willow blades and i was able to fishing it slow enough to where it was easier for them to chase while keeping it up in the warmer water. Since it was a little breezy i figure the spinner would be my best bet. And yes, i caught most of my fish along a weed patch right around the mouth of a spring that feeds into the pond. Hopefully, with the weather staying in the upper 50s this week, this weekend should work.

I would suggest sticking to a spinning rod and reel combo, mainly because you don't want to be overloaded with having to learn how to use a baitcaster in addition to learning about lure, line, and color selection. Once you have a pretty good understanding of those things, then start focusing on getting a better rod and reel. Spinning reels (as you know from trout fishing) are fairly easy to work, so they will be one thing less to worry about. Just be sure to have your drag set nicely to your line test weight and rod strength. Also, stick with smaller lures for now. Like 6" worms and smaller sized crankbaits should work fine. However, since you are fishing in a creek and river, rocky areas like that should be fished with smaller Jigs, In-Line Spinners, and texas-rigged plastics. I am not familiar with either bodies of water but that is the gist of rocky creek and river fishing. If you can, try to find a local pond and practice a little. Good luck!

It ended up being spinnerbaits that caught me the fish. I missed a PIG when she spit hook about 3 feet from the bank. However, i ended up catching about 5 decent fish.

So other than a jerkbait, what are some lures you would throw that you can easily work slow without getting a snag?