kfelton0002

I guess if we all "did serious research before posting" there wouldn't be a need for message boards now would there? I have done a great deal of research and still have to ask questions because I enjoy communicating with others that are into the sport to get all angles and perspectives to what my question is pertaining. I'm a newbie and crave information on bass fishing. How can we newbies be expected to learn without asking questions? I understand linking threads/info for topics that are frequently addressed but don't be so abrasive to the new people.

What an awesome response.. made me laugh. lol The blind hog finding an acorn occasionally nearly done me in! lol. I too have been having the same trouble you're having being new to artifical lures and all, but with trial and error I guess we'll figure it out eventually. Not every person is going to have the same results using the same lure at a certain time. Bass change with the weather and water temps and it's so dang frustrating sometimes. I wish I had a bass fishing guru to turn to but instead I will turn to you guys and learn what I can from you. Loving this site so far!

I know what you mean. I hate stringers!! And what kills is me to go fishing where someone has a bunch of small bluegill on a stringer then "release them" when they leave.. then there they lay.. on their sides dead at the water's edge. I mean come on! Why do you need a stringer for bluegill? Use a bucket with an aerator doofus! lol And for bass a small cooler works quite well as a live well. You don't have to spend hundreds on a yeti.. just a cheapo from walmart will work. People are idiots. In response to original poster: I have had fish to die as a result of catching them whether it be hooking them too deep, gill hooking, etc but I left knowing I did everything I could to try to prevent it from happening. A quick hookset sometimes isn't an option when a hungry bass sucks a lure down faster than you can set the hook. If for some reason I hook a fish deeply to where I need to really work to get the hook out, I give the fish breaks to breath in the water. I couldn't imagine how frightening it would be to die of suffocation due to someone's carelessness. Poor thing. You did the right thing trying to teach those boys the error in their ways.

I said they couldn't be digested, but could be passed whole or regurgitated.

As long as the hook and plastic don't make it to the bass's stomach it should be able to dislodge them eventially and will be fine. If a fish swallows a hook and/or plastic lure the hook can damage the fish (I've read the hook dissolving internally is a myth) and soft plastics do not digest in the fish. It is possible for a fish to pass the soft plastic whole but otherwise it just sits and sits in the GI tract for quite some time until it is either passed or regurgitated. I just hope the fish didn't have a long leader of line attached to the hook that might get caught up in heavy cover. Otherwise I'd say it will be fine. Bass are pretty resilient.

I'm not sure if spinnerbaits and all the like are for me. I may give them a try a time or two more, but if I don't see any results I will likely phase them out of my tackle bag. I've read and re-read all the info but when I try to apply that and use it in the waters where I fish, the fish just don't seem to want to bite them. Same with chatterbaits and buzzbaits.

I am still relatively new to the sport of bass fishing with artificial lures. When we go out I throw a texas rigged plastic (worm or creature) or a topwater frog and that is what I catch bass on. My question is, when are lures like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and chatterbaits useful and more productive than a texas rig? When (what time of year/time of day) do bass prefer faster more horizontal presentations over a slower moving worm or creature bait? I have heard that faster presentation work better when bass are prespawn and are loading up for the spawn and when they are chasing shad, otherwise during the spawn and post spawn they don't like to chase lures. If some of you could please give me some insight and share their wisdom with me so I can hopefully learn how to use these lures and above all be productive using these lures it would help me a lot. I've thrown smaller spinnerbaits with a colorado blade with no bites, and I've thrown a 3/4 and 1/8 ounce chatterbait later in the evenings with no bites. I tied on a buzzbait yesterday evening just before dark just to see how it would run in the water before we left. No bites. The waters I fish are generally lightly stained to murky ponds 1/4 acre on up to 1 acre plus. Some have heavy grass cover, some heavy wood cover. Crappy bottoms that hang lures easily so crankbaits are pretty much out for me until I get a boat and go out to the lake. Help me out guys..

I have a pack of them, the watermelon with red flake but I have yet to catch anything on one. They imitate a crawfish I imagine and I have one rigged up on a matching jig and have also used them texas rigged weightless. So far the bass haven't given them a second glance where I fish.

When I go to a tackle store, before I ever buy a new lure I think "can I live without this lure?" Just today we bought some new hollow body frogs cuz ours are getting pretty worn out. Topwater frogs always make the cut. lol Dang that bait monkey.

They may not be successful at crushing the turtle but they will indeed eat turtles. I've seen bass regurgitate baby turtles. The point I was making is that they will try to kill any invader to the nest.

I do cast above them and then retrieve it to where they are. As soon as they see the lure they split. It's not the line that spooks them, its the lure. I'm assuming its something theyre not used to seeing because no one I know of fishes up there anymore. I was gonna try some live shiners if all else fails. I have a small spinnerbait but I tried throwing a micro chatterbait and they ran from that too. It's frustrating. I have some 3 inch yum dingers I may try. There is one deeper spot in the pond but it is literally 4 feet max. Like I could probably wade through the whole thing from end to end. It used to be a nice pond, like 20 feet deep or so but now its just a bowl of land with a little water in the bottom. They've dug a channel in the side to redirect the water out of it into a creek. I'm assuming their intention is for it to dry up. I think a natural gas company owns the property. Relocating the bass won't be an issue with local fish and wildlife I don't think. I'm trying to save them as simple as that may sound. I am a big ol softy and I can't stand the thought of them dying in that pond.

Everybody has days like that. Like me last weekend for example. We had been fishing this pond for a while and they started hitting real good. By this time people were starting to move into the area. We were fishing a cove that not many people fish and people were watching "the girl" catch fish after fish. They were dinks but still. So I finally got one that weighed around a pound (the pond is riddled with smaller bass) and lipped him to remove the hook. At the same time I got the hook free of his lip he flopped and got loose from me and down the bank to the water he went.. gone. Lol. I can only imagine what those guys were thinking. Poor little girl lost her fish.. bite me! Lol. I can outfish most guys I fish with any day. We are entitled to a few of "those days".

I just posted about what lures I use in the summer on a similar thread. As far as locating them, try looking for a stream/branch/creek whatever you want to call it that feeds the pond or lake. This influx of cooler water brings more oxygen into the pond or lake and plus food items that attracts bass in the summer when the warmer water starts getting depleted of oxygen. Also fish around cover and aquatic vegetation that will attract bass due to higher oxygen levels from the plants as well.

You end up dragging a ton of grass in with every fish by the time you get them in anyway. They want to swim down when their hooked so either way I'm gonna have to haul in grass. I'm using 30 pound braid and so far its doing fine.

If the lake has really clear water don't use real heavy line and if you do make sure to use a flurocarbon leader as the line visibility will spook the fish. Try Carolina rigging a fluke or other finesse bait. Wacky rigging a plastic worm may give you good results, you can put a small weight in the worms head and wacky rig the worm through the collar or smooth ring in the center. In the summer bass don't much like to chase lures when its hot so slow your presentation. Working a jig and pig slow is a good idea too. Brush hogs always produce for me too.

I've always heard that males have bigger mouths than the females. This is necessary because the males have to guard the nest/eggs/fry and will inhale and crush to death bluegill, frogs, turtles, and anything he thinks will harm his offspring with his mouth. I'm not sure if I'm sold on this or not though. Males don't usually get over 6-8 pounds max and are usually leaner especially during the spawn because all of his efforts are spent on protecting the nest. Female bass fatten up prespawn to nourish the developing eggs, they find a male's nest they like, lay their eggs, they may stick around for a few days and then they leave. Males create the nest in tjd sand with their tails, fertilize the eggs, guard the eggs and then guard the fry for a month or so. It's no wonder the males are smaller!

I can probably get access to a small Jon boat. I was thinking taking something like a rake and some old feed sacks to put the junk in while in the boat. I've read that the hydrilla makes it hard on the bass as it forces them into what little open space there is, like on the bottom or in the few open holes there is and they have to compete for this space. That's why the big girls are in the bottom and the smaller fish are closer to the surface in the holes. I'm going today to try punching through the stuff. I bought some heavier sinkers so we shall see if I can get me a big pig bass. I'm super pumped.

Very true.. if you don't get hung up a few times you're not fishing where the bass are. Lol.

Thanks everyone!

If you're not catching much on full sized baits, don't hesitate to downsize. For example a full size brush hog might slay at a lake but in a pond the baby brush hogs size produce better. A larger fish will take a smaller bait, and the smaller fish will take a smaller bait allowing you to catch more fish. For ponds I do best with 3-5 inch stick baits, baby lizards, baby brush hogs, and 3 inch craws. Topwater or barely under surface early and bottom as the day goes on. Then you can go back to surface in late evening.

Bass like to follow the shade when the day heats up. So cast above the shady area and pull your bait through the shade. Cast to the opposite bank if close enough like when fishing pond points and bring your bait into the water like prey coming into the water. Bass love to ambush prey and often wait at the bank for a frog or other food item to thump into the water. Also look into the water and match the hatch.. if you see lots of frogs throw something that resembles a frog, or salamanders, shad, whatever you see. Odds are if you're seeing a lot of prey potential, that's what they're feeding on. Bass are often gonna be hanging around cover that is difficult for you to get your bait so use things that make subtle sounds or vibrations to bring the bass to your bait.

They seem to really like craws in that pond. I have one specific color that they hammer on top, its watermelon with green and purple glitter and its yum brand. They hold up well. I will do trial runs with different baits and see what they like best and what holds up and performs best. I also have some big 10-12 inch berkleys powerbait worms in June bug and some pretty big stick baits. What color would you guys recommend? The water is fairly clear and barely stained a green hue due to the grass. I've been using natural colors like green and they seem to like that. I have gotten hits on different colors though, like red bug. Will natural colors work just as well on bottom under all that heavy grass or should I use darker colors? Thanks for all the input.. I'm learning a lot from you guys! I'm like a sponge.. lol.

Looks like I'm gonna invest in some heavier sinkers.. I shall give it a try. I won't give up until I'm pulling at least a 5 pound pig from that slop. We are also gonna change up our times a bit. We've been fishing mainly morning and early afternoon, so I think we're gonna try some evening and night fishing up there. I'm in love with the pond.. and I have a love hate relationship with the grass.

I used a 1 ounce weight today.. I thought that was pretty heavy. Yes the holes in the top produce okay but they're not huge. Weightless craws and brush hogs always produce at least a fish or two every time I go but the biggest i've caught there only weighed around a pound and a half or so. I have fished every inch of that pond on top but punching through I only tried a few spots today just a trial run. Mainly in the center of the pound where the grass is thickest.

I'm using some heavy braid and a decent rod and reel but I do get concerned for the bass we pull in. You usually have 1 pound of fish to every 10 pounds of grass you pull in with it. I always worry I will pull their jaw off.