jb_adams

That's awesome! Glad it worked for you. I have a new found respect for the JUNEBUG. It seems to be a great night time bait, dark water bait, muddy water bait, and in some cases, even a good clear water bait. It's my new "green pumpkin"....haha NO problem and glad it worked out for you. Wish I could have gone, I had to mow the yard. Maybe this weekend. This the time of year that I like going fishing on the White River and I've got just the rig do to it with this year.

That's right. I started fishing DD22's this year and I really like them. About 90% of the fish I catch hit it right under the boat right as it is started to go up. Thanks. Sounds like they were following your bait and decided to commit as they saw it approaching something unfamiliar or dangerous (the boat). I've seen bass do that on swimbaits and other baits. I've been in the process of pulling my swimbait out of the water when out of nowhere a bass appears on the other line. I just keep swinging the bass all the way into the boat. Shortest fight I've ever had! A DD22 bite is very similar to a swimbait bite. They don't always smack it like a worm or spinnerbait usually is. It's an increase in tension or pressure. You can feel it hit the bait and sometimes they hit it pretty good but usually it's a sudden tension increase instead of a "tug-tug-tug-tug" type motion. I've had better luck cranking slow than fast anyday. I was testing one to see if it was running true and got more hits because I was trying to slow down and feel the bait. I felt it alright....felt that bass hit it that is.

I've done the same thing. Asked for ideas on what to try, went and stocked up on a few baitsthen hit the water. None of which worked! (haha) Your best chances are trust your instincts and figure out what will work vs. what any of us say or suggest. Just remember, what works for some doesn't mean it will work for you. I do feel the junebug finesse worms in a variety of types (curly tailed finesse, trick worm, centipede/french fry, etc) will be a good starting point for reference. I've recently tried junebug colored craw trailers and t-rigged craw baits. I've gotten bites on them when nothing else would work. Remember, start off small and work your way up in bait sizes. You'll catch small fish first but at least you're catching instead of being skunked. Good luck, I hope you get it figured out and have fun.

That's probably because you fish the Wal-Mart baits 99% of the time. In my experience (and when I started using spinnerbaits I bought a bunch of Wal-Mart ones), the 99 cent baits do not track straight, do not spin properly, and they have a strong latex scent that may or may not have an effect on the fish. Granted, they're only a dollar, but IMO, they do not work nearly as well as name-brand spinnerbaits. And unless you're fishing heavy stuff from shore, you won't lose many spinnerbaits anyway, so it's worth the investment I totally agree here. They may be cheap, but if you are losing spinnerbaits, you must be fishing from the bank. If that's the case, fish t-rigged plastics and that's about it if you want to be conservative on bait costs. The WM skirts are total junk, and anything you are catching are probably not that big. I've caught bass on the cheaper spinnerbaits but I stopped buying them years ago. If you are fishing from a boat, spend the extra cash and try War Eagle, Stanley, Terminator, Strike King Premier Plus, etc. Spinnerbaits are all basically the same except for color combinations, blade combinations, components, etc. Why do I think War Eagle catches more bass for me? I don't know and I can't explain why but they do. I personally think it's the skirt profile and how it's thinner (less strands) than most. I also think it's the blades combination. I prefer double willow leaf myself. My bud can throw a spinnerbait of the same type I can throwing. I'll catch a few fish and he won't. I must be retrieving differently than he does. Little differences add up so might as well get quality equipment to help increase your chances.

I have fished similar conditions recently on a farm pond. The key problem for you is new water in the pond. It's stirred up silt, it's dropped the water temp (I assume), and that big of a change is going to make the bite slow down a lot and make a very particular bite.a worm bite is most likely your best bet. I learned that small worms in just the right color spectrum will do the trick and it's a delicate bite so I hope you have a sensitive rod and you can feel delicate bites. I tried jigs, tried small crankbaits, rattletraps, larger worms in Powerbait Tequilla Sunrise, Zoom's Red Shad Ole Monster, a blueberry colored finesse worm (the blueberry did produce a savage strike from a dink), and several other colors with no luck (except for the blueberry). With dark or muddy water, black and green is my new best friend. I tried a junebug colored Zoom Centipede just the other day in stained water after dark and it produced a really nice bass and a strike that shocked me. I wasn't paying attention and next thing you know my drag is engaged. That bass knocked that bait so hard it scared me. Trust me, try a small finesse worm in a split shot rig, a weightless senko, or a simple t-rigged worm in a variety of Junebug colors and you'll have some luck. Don't question the power of the Junebug! (hahaha) If bass are not biting topwater baits, they are not in the mood for eating and they are lethargic and inactive. An easy meal like a finesse worm is like a snack pack to a kid. They can't resist it even if they don't want it. It's definitely a worm bite for you right now. The next biggest key factor is finding fish from the bank. Once you have a good bait arsenal to try, Try to pattern the bass and locate some type of pattern on where they are and what they are doing. Are they shallow, deep, midrange, etc. I personally think the pad stalks are not the best place given the conditions. They may be on a flat but I would imagine they will be tight to underwater structure and points, cuts in the bank, etc. Look for active fish too. That's another great bank locater. If you see a few fish jumping (crappie, bass, whatever), more than likely the bass are within casting distance. I used to be a crankbait & spinnerbait user. It spoiled me for that matter. I couldn't fish a worm anymore because I'd get bored. Now that I have caught more recently using the worm, I've revived a basic weapon. The worm is as basic as fish a live shad on a bobber. It's successful for a reason. Give it a cast and I bet you have a lot more luck.

You're cranking them too fast if it's beating you to death. I have heard of guys just ripping them through the water but you had better have a pretty stiff rod like a c-rig or jig rod as mentioned above for that. A fast reel will allow you to burn it without having to crank as fast. I prefer to swim it at a slow pace. I cast it, let it sit and settle, then swim it down slow. It dives deeper from the start that way. If you feel it pulling, you're going too fast. If you can feel the bait swimming slightly, you're just about right. Swim it until you can just barely feel it at all and then back of a little. Try various speeds but the slower usually works better. If you are not bumping something, you're just using it as a swimbait. If you bump it off the bottom or on stumps, trees, rocks, silt, etc., you'll create a big noisy presentation. When you bump a tree or stump, stop reeling it and let it sit for a few seconds..then burn it for a few feet. That usually gets a strike. I thought the faster reels had a higher ratio? Like a 6.1 is slower than a 7.1 ratiois that not right?

War Eagle.............hands down. I have become the "spinnerbait kid" these last few years. I almost always have a spinnerbait tied on. If I don't, I'll throw one before the day is over. On days where we don't catch a thing, the spinnerbait is usually the bait that gets a strike or a fish. I have tried several brands including Strike King Premier Plus, Terminator, Stanley, etc. I like the Stanley but I have caught more fish with the plain War Eagle spinnerbaits. The Stanley has a shad painted head with eyes. Much more realistic than a chrome head but all I can say is, War Eagle works on any water I have fished. Since War Eagle is made here in my town and fished on my lake, either the fish are supporting local businesses or they just simply work. Clear water = Mouse Stained Water = variations of white or white and chartreuse Muddy Water = Coleslaw..gotta respect the Coleslaw. It's sold out as fast as it hits the shelves around here. I've tried all kinds of other colors including natural looking greens, browns, golds, etc. The colors above consistently produce whereas others do not.

Here is a nice one I caught on dark muddy water with top water. I tried several things and a WHITE Strike King Tri-wing buzzbait is the only thing that really worked........"THAT DAY". I've tried the same bait several other trips and little to no success. I tried chartreuse, black, etc. The white color in a smaller propped buzzbait was what they wanted. It left bubble trails and was relatively quiet for a buzzbait if you retrieve it just fast enough to keep it on top. It would gurgle and it sounded like a little boat instead of the typical buzzbait sounds. They would hammer that bait that day. I think I caught 14 that day on a small farm pond with that one buzzbait. Topwater Bass The point is, one thing works one day and not on other days. There is no one color and all of the advice given is good. I would say to try various things and use something similar to what the bass are use to eating so you match the forage but make a small change that makes it stand out and more attractive. If black doesn't work, try white, chartreuse, fire tiger, dark green, etc. I have a feeling the prop blade and the noise made is far more important than the actual color. This is so much more true with darker water, flash & vibration is the key factor. I recently learned that black and green flake is a magic color on this particular pond. It works on every trip so I've been told. The black gives the contrast and the green gives the natural flash. On days where you can't get a bite, this color works well. Junebug is the color in most manufacturers but they all have a different variation of that color. This is what I have learned recently anyway. Hope it helps you. It has helped me

I did today because it was on Bassmaster. ;D Table Rock is just up the highway for me. I fish on Beaver Lake which is the upper end of the White River / Table Rock Lake. I have not heard of them but I really like the colors he has. Like it was stated, a jig is a jig if it's quality. Looks like the quality is there and the colors look good.

I do the toothpick trick too on many things but this hole was too small for even a toothpick. Scotch tape was the only material I had lying around at the time and it has tention on it so using threadlocker probably won't work unless I can use a small grip vise and keep the tension on it until it sets. SO, scotch tape was my quick fix. I think it's going to hold for a long time too.

Yep, lesson learned. :-?

I tried "Loosening" and that was a bad thing. I heard a click and then the bale wouldn't operate correctly. So, I ended up taking the bale apart, the spring shot across the room and almost lost it, then I found the problem. THere are two screws with one each on each side of one end of the bale wire. One screw that held the cover was stripped so the part that holds the bale wire in place was loose and causing the problem. LOng story short, I got it fixed and it's working like new again. I think closing the bale by cranking wore the screw loose and bored the hole. I had to shim some scotch tape into the hole so the screw would bite something. I plan on getting some locktite or something and making a more permanent fix.

I have been a fan of Pflueger until recently. The bale on my spinning reel (President series) keeps closing on me during the cast. When I open the bale, hold the line with my finger and then cast, the bale closes like I never had it open. The bait comes flying back at me and the drag zipps at me because the bait didn't go anywhere. At first, my partner asked if I was going to get the bait in the water. Then the second time, then the third time, the fourth, etc. I gave up and laid down that rod and never used it the rest of the trip. It appears the internal spring/mechanism that holds the bale open is weak or wore out. Anyone ever experience this? I like my reel but if this is the result, off to Shimano I go. Everyone told me to get the Shimano, I hope they don't make a believer out of me.

By the way, I went fishing Monday afternoon before the remnants of Gustav came through my area. The only bite I had (even on schools of white bass and spotted bass) was on this little junebug centipede worm. It was a quality fish probably 3lbs and he nailed the tar out of that worm when he struck. It was dark and in shallow flooded brush. I even threw rooster tails which is the bait of choice here locally on schooling fish. My partner caught a decent spot on a spook but that was it. We tried several baits in various colors. I threw the worm there and it didn't work there either. Was it luck the junebug worm worked later after dark? Maybe. Might have been in just the right spot at the right time. Might have been just the right color to offer contrast in muddy water too. My buddy has recently had a lot of luck on a shad colored finesse worm but not much else. Maybe color matters? I think it does.

He also fishes a lake that is infested with quality bass. Not all of us are that lucky I've heard his views on that too. I've also seen personal experience that says otherwise. Sometimes, a simple switch from green pumpkin with red flake to green pumpkin with black flake makes all the difference. Sometimes it doesn't matter. Different circumstances yields different results. That's why fishing is noted as "did you have any luck today?" Sometimes dumb luck wins out. I've got tons of senkos in lots of colors. I've caught more fish on other worms and spinnerbaits than a senko. Again, different circumstances yield different results.

Yeah, that sounds about my kind of luck. Funny thing is though, my relative swears by this particular color for the pond that we were fishing. He uses this particular worm every trip and it always produces. Matter of fact, he caught a 9lb bass right off the dock just goofing off last year on a cold rainy winter day. Must be something about that color that works year round because he's been using it for years now. I don't think the bite will die on this color for a while. Besides, Junebug is a very good color for many applications.

Stopped by my local baitshop last night out of curiosity. You know what they say about curiosity and the cat........ Well after asking the guy about black with green in a french fry style bait, he hands me a Zoom Centipede in Junebug. I thought it would be purple or blue toned like most Junebug baits but.... I'll be the Baitmonkey's whipping boy if that aint it! Can't tell much from Zoom's picture above but I bought a pack. Looks just like what we had such great luck on. I've got other Junebug colored baits and none look black. Most are purple or blue with green and blue or red flake. So the mystery is solved and there are some great suggestions here in this thread. Thanks! I like the GYCB color. I have also found some awesome custom bait companies that I will be ordering from too. Thanks everyone!! ;D

Junebug is about as close as I have found so far. From what we could tell on the pond, the flakes had to be pretty good size for it to work well. The Zoom Ole Monster worm I cut short was dark purple with small green flakes. It caught two but the black with green caught five. Thanks for the offer Jeff. I'll send a PM.

That's a fairly broad statement. It depends on what mood the fish are in. Bright and loud can turn them off if they are finiky. In this particular case, bright & loud wasn't true on this particular trip. I have historically tried bright and loud in the typical applications however, only a few things have worked so far. Believe me, I've tried all the basics for cranks, spinnerbaits, topwater, etc. on this pond over the last couple of years. I was looking for a particular color of plastic and I was questioning if plain black was a good option. I would say try anything that vibrates and has flash as a starting point of reference and vary the techniques and baits for new water. This is not new water for me. I was trying to establish a good base color to work from. Thanks to my relative, I do now.

I'm looking for a senko or french fry / centipede style worm in a specific color range. It should not be hard to find but I'm having trouble finding what I'm looking for with major brands. So far, Lake Fork Tackle is as close as I've found. I'm looking for a black (or really, really dark green) with large bright green flakes. Black with chart. green would work too. Why this color? Because it works

Black french fry with big green flake. That's the secret to that pond. There were scattered thundershowers all around that day and lots of fresh cold water in the pond. The bite was extremely slow and very short that morning. I ended up fishing with a relative and he caught about 5 and I think I caught 4. I was trying other baits and he fished that one worm until he lost it. He only had one left and he was done after that. He tried two other colors but had no confidence in them. He told me that particular worm consistently caught bass on that pond and most ponds with water that color. Problem was he can't find it very often. It's not a popular color I guess. He didn't even know what brand it was. I took a Zoom Ole Monster and cut the tail off and tried that because it was the next closest color match I had. It produced a decent bass but not as much green flake as the french fry. The bite was so slow and so delicate, I had my finger on the line and the rod and barely felt a something different. I set the hook on instinct. It was a small 10 bass. Usually even the little ones will attack a worm if they bite. These were so delicate you could miss a bite in a split second like jig fishing. So now I'm on the hunt for all things black with big green flakes. I've got some lizards, curly tailed finesse worms in Junebug with green flake, and now I'm trying to complete the menu with you guessed itblack french fry with big green flake. I think I can use this color in clearer water too. For the record, I tried the following: - Red-eyed shad lipless crank in crome (got a short bite but no takers) - Clear Zara Spook Puppy (produced well before here) - Black Strike King Midnight special spinnerbait (black with stamped Colorado blade) - Finess jig 3/16oz, black with black Gulp craw trailer (they wouldn't touch it) - Variety of curly tailed worms in a variety of bright and dark colors (Caught one on a bright blueberry color with bright blue flakes) - Shallow water crankbaits (various retrieves - Buzzbait (my best producer so far but inconsistent)

I'm familiar with lateral lines, vibration, etc. I was just wanting to check my colors to see if that was why my previous trips have not been as successfull. I've tried flashy, vibrating bates. I even tried the chatterbait. I've tried pretty much all of the above with little success. I've tried natural colors, brighter colors, weightless worms work better for less hangup but they don't bite. Could be the time of year, weather, etc. I don't get to fish this pond often and it's only for a short period when I do go so I take the weather and time of year into consideration each trip. I had tons of success on a white buzzbait one day and that was the only thing they'd bite. I know they're there and I know there's a good crop of bass. I think I'll try to locate them, establish some type of pattern to determine their location and mood, then slow down and fish plastics.

Sweet suggestion! Thanks! I don't think I own a worm with metal flake! (lol) I'll have to stock a few additions I guess. What you said about flash and vibration makes perfect since. That's what I was looking for.

This weekend, I will fish a small private pond. The water is really dark and there is a lot of vegetation. It's hard to fish a T-rig plastic worm it's so thick! So since the water is so dark, is black really the best optimum color choice? It's not muddy like Yoohoo brown.it's more like coffee with just a touch of creamer. Visibility is typically less than a foot. A black bait in dark water might not be contrasting enough. I'm used to clearer water so this is new territory for me. I'm thinking yellow chartreuse, bright red, blue, white, etc. Here is a pic of the pond. Maybe that will help.

I'll be doing the same thing myself this weekend with slight chance of storms. Good luck to you! The pond I'm fishing is just under an acre so it's small but it's got a lot of good bass. Last year, a guy caught a 9lb bass right off the dock with a plastic worm. Just doodlin' around and playing. Figures.....I fish for hours, he fishes for minutes and bags the big one. The water I'm fishing is VERY dark. Like black! It's got a lot of rotting leaves, limbs, pine needles, etc. in it so it turns the water to a darker color. Visibility is typically less than 1ft. Is a black jig or plastic still a good color choice? I was thinking, chart. or even white for most baits and red or blue for jigs. Thoughts?