FishingMN

I have frog fished quite a bit over lillypads in the past and done ok, but on a recent outing I had about 10 missed blowups in a row! It was sunny and windy and I was fishing in the heavier/denser lillypads. I had a new lunkerhunter (although i usually use spro) frog on that was smaller, popping, and i had shortened the tail significantly to try to increase hits, but it didn't seem to help. I was moving the frog very slow and pausing for up to 3 seconds in the tiny spaces between pads. Even odder I could throw back to the same spot and get another blowup or even a 3rd blowup from the same fish! I tried throwing a texas rigged creature in but they didn't take it. It was to far back and a bit to thick to throw a followup worm I think. What can i do to increase hookup to blow up ratio? Was it the bright sunlight that caused bad aim? The blowups weren't small, so i don't think it was just small fish. Were the bass just trying to knock the frog into the water for a second hit? Did i make it worse by shortening the frog legs? I can't help but imagine how the fishing trip would have been so much better if even 25% of the blowups results in a catch! How can I convert that interest by the bass into an actual catch??

I use a 1/4 weight and a plastic bead. I have to retie about every 20 casts because small nicks/damage on the 12lb fluorocarbon line that seems to form around where the bead is. Does anyone else have this problem? I don't like retying.

Thanks. But what's curious to me is these bass aren't really pinned to a bed. They seem to be roaming in the general area of where beds are, but not on a bed.

I have a question for everyone.... When surface water temps hit around 65 to 68, in the past, I will see plenty of bass up shallow in 1 to 4 fow. They may or may not be on beds. Most will look like they are just cruising. I might see 30 bass in a day, and cast for hours, so I am sure my bait passed double that number.. but with no bites. Maybe 1 or 2 max.. and those are real little ones. Are they just thinking about spawning so much that they won't bite? Is there anyway to coax them in to biting? What method would be best? Or is this the normal, impossible behavior at this water temp?

any shore, river, smallie fishing spots I should check out before the rivers freeze? nw metro would be best

try to find pencil reeds next to (interspersed with) other weeds with the most life around in 4fow on cass lake. Try texas rigged, wacky or, chatterbait. see my previous posts from a few days ago on cass lake

cass lake seems much better..btw. long idle over there, but 10 bass with largest being almost 4lbs

Well so far I've caught 3. so I guess I am doing ok in a non bass lake. Actually, i think they pull into this lake in the spring and then thin out later in the year is my guess. Thanks for the info I should have looked up dnr info Thanks! We did bring trailer. We will try Grace. Sounds fun. I did find a few on wolf using a keitech or a chatterbait in the pencil reeds.. 4ft water. Thanks guys for the help. Did find 3 bass on wolf. (2+, 2+, 3+ lbs) but appears population of bass is thin.. haven't yet ventured to the other lakes.

Does anyone know if there are largemouth bass on Wolf Lake up near bemidji? I will be spending a week in that area. Curious if there are any good tips on finding the bass. Last time there only found northern (smallish) and some walleye, but couldn't connect with a single bass. It does connect to Andruisa Lake and Cass Lake if I wanted to spend a long time idling through a mile of channels. So kinda curious about those lakes too. Any pointers would be helpful. Have a great week everyone!

have the fish started to move deeper?

water temp 75ish mid size west/north lakes today. Was near 80 earlier this week. CRAZY.

I think a lot of lakes are starting to get to the clear stage, before they become stained/green again. I am impressed they were biting the chatterbait in the clear waters is why I asked. I have been doing ok with a keitech with a very slightly weighted hook and/or a minus 1ft mini crankbait. I like the fluke Idea. Did you have any weight added to the fluke?

water clear or stained?

that's what i've been noticing too.

finding lots of .5 to 1.5 lbers shallow. Some on beds. Water temp 63-65. Where are the more sizable fish?

If water temp is 70, and some bass found on beds. Where is best place to go to target the other bass (the ones that I assume are not spawning..they don't all spawn at once right?)

visibly noticed 20 or so bass over a 600 foot section cruising in 3 fow or less in water ~63degrees with mostly sandy bottom and some weeds mixed in around docks. Tried throwing small crankbaits, curly tail worms, senko, weightless fluke, tried staying far away casting with as long as possible casts, and really only got 1 to bite after fan casting for almost 2 hours.. Is this a mid spawn attitude? Or am I doing something wrong? There were also plenty of sunfish/crappie around. Perhaps they weren't hungry? They didn't seem to be pinned to a particular spot/bed. just cruising.

I have no problem catching bass during the rest of the season. It is just the late summer/early fall that I need to figure out. The lake has a good bass population. Weeds out to 11 feet. Somewhat stained water.

The last week or two I think I've been trying the wrong thing (many wrong things) to find the bass. I am catching northern 10 to 1 bass. I want bass. Any clues where they are? They don't seem to want moving baits, and the worm/jig bite is tough.. unless I am not targeting them properly? I am not a very strong jig fisher so I sometimes give up on that. But a buddy that is a jig fisher says he's had a hard time with that lately too.. This time of the year has traditionally been tough for me. Any pointers?

It is funny you mention no clear end of the weeds, no clear weedline. I noticed this year on lakes I fish a lot of just gradual thinning of weeds.. still with tall stems but just less density. Like a weed stem every 3 feet going into the deep water, then finally they start to get short.

how far off the bottom do you set your dropshot when fishing the gradually fading weeds?

cool.

In Minnesota here, a jig is good bait in the grass/weeds/milfoil/etc. And I have caught a few dozen of fish on one, so I am not a total amateur, but I know I still am under performing. My particular issue is knowing where along the weed edge to use a jig. Some lakes have sharp weed edges all season. On others, sometimes a weed edge is super sharp and defined, usually in the spring, and it's easy for me to pitch right at the edge. But as the summer approaches, a LOT of weeds die off and the weed edge is not clear. In shallow and mid-depth the weed growth is solid and even emergent, but even on the drops, it does not just disappear sharply. It is very gradual, it thins out all the way to about 15 feet or more. It just becomes gradually more sparse. How do I attack this water with a jig? There isn't a clear weed edge almost anywhere on the lake. Out at the "edge" there is a tall stalk of weeds probably every 10 feet. It is very thinned out.

what depth were they in? got just one fish today, on a spinnerbait in about 3 feet of water, among lillypads. Still trying to figure their location out after their last move.

Is the cabbage bite on a lake or in the river? If it is a lake, is it on flat, point, or just along the shoreline? Glad to hear you are getting a good bite yet.