TriStateBassin106

Here in NJ the fall is right around the corner and some of the creeks around here are soon gonna be stocked with trout but before that stocking begins late next month I really want to get after some creek smallmouth during this time, what lures would you guys recommed throwing for them? The creek I'm fishing has a lot of dink sized smallmouth but holds a few good ones, what parts of the creek should I focus on and what should I know about how smallmouth act this time of year in creeks? Do they feed heavily in the fall like largemouths do?

Had fun the past week, only got skunked once and it was last night due to heavy rain the day before and sudden drop in temps, but I got on a bunch during a feeding frenzy over the span of three days including a couple night time fish. Nothing big but a good sign that the fall bing in these fish will start to kick up. Hopefully I'll start to get on some quality fish soon.

Bass don't react well to sudden water temps changes This is interesting because it's starting to get like that here in Jersey. Last night we had some rain and the temps dropped down into the lower 50s but todays high was 79 degrees and tomorrow is supposed to be a high of 73, let's just say the fishing today was brutal. Not even one bite, all the heavy rain probably spooked them to suspend or hold tight to structure, I fish a lot of retention ponds and it was a good bite until the rain. I really hope the fall bite in the northeast isn't a bust this year.

Since some on here are currently struggling with the bite right now (myself included) I just wanted to say that I've had some days where the fish just don't want anything you give them.. We all probably have on here. No matter how many times you downsized lures or slowed down.. Some days you're just gonna get flat out skunked. I know it sucks and if it happens frequently it can be pretty demoralizing for you. But also remember as bass anglers getting skunked can be a good learnimg experience. For me after getting skunked is like watching football flim after a team loss. You look at your mistakes and try to re evaluate and understand what you did wrong and what you could do to improve, the same mindset applies to bass fishing. My advice to all the newer anglers right now is just hang in there, never give up and when the deck is stacked against you...escape your comfort zone and try out new things! Gain knowledge by going on sites like Bassresource and put time on the water! You'll overcome!! What advice do you guys have for the newer anglers getting skunked and frustrated?

Bite hasn't turned off for me yet but there was a cooling period in late late august into the first days of september where it struggled to make it to 70 some days and the bite was horrible...but this was because we had a massive cold front that came through New Jersey and screwed everything up, as of now the bite has picked up but since we're in a transition still it could change any day and the bite could suck again.

This I identify with more as being a middle ground, I know guys who only throw smaller stuff and only catch bass less than 10inches or less than half a lb those are honestly the guys who go out of their way to not get skunked, I personally hate catching smaller bass like that, I don't even count it as a catch, this is the average size of the fish I catch at my ponds around here. Anything smaller than this is a super dink in my book,

This^

Exactly!!! I'll take the little guys if it means I don't get skunked!

Specifically targeting big bass (4lbs+) is a luxury I do not have in my neck of the woods, I specifically go out of my way to target numbers instead of bigger fish because I don't feel like getting skunked. IMO right now I would prefer a day of catching 20 bass from the bank that are anywhere from 14 inches to 2lbs instead of maybe 1 huge fish after 6 hours of fishing. Do I welcome big fish when I catch them? Oh hell yes! And i've caught plenty of hogs this year (my profile pic bass was 4lbs) but unfortunately at the moment if I decided to chase only bigger fish at the pressured waters I fish 9/10 I would go home with a skunk. Now would I want to have the luxury of complaining about only catching 2lbers instead of 6lbers? Hell yeah I would!! Huge respect to the guys on this forum who chase the trophy fish, that's a hustle I probably couldn't even do but they grind it out against all odds!!

Yellow perch are infamous for this in my lake, always attack huge swimjigs and cranks..

You mean the heavy load and line zig zagging once you start reeling it in? Best feeling in the world! Dude nice fish! Did you use mono or something else like braid to detect that line movement?

90% of the time machine gun taps are either obnoxious sunfish or underwater structure. Either way my plastic comes back with little peck marks.

Yeah that has happened to me aswell. Usually when the bass is swimming towards you. Hmm that's pretty unique for bigger fish to do that though. All my solid fish usually just straight up slam the bait or my rod gets heavy and the line starts zig zagging.

I've mastered weightless senko fishing this summer. 99% of weightless senko bites are a straight up thump or mushy feeling. A tap tap tap feeling is usually a smaller fish, feeling a heavy load on the other hand usually guarantees a bigger fish.

A friend of mine I fish with is having trouble detecting bites. So after watching me instinctively set the hook over and over again he asked me to explain how to detect slower bites and I tried my hardest to explain that it's all about feeling the bottom and knowing what is what...he doesn't seem to have a hard time with moving baits so far. I've tried explaining to him that I'm not the fastest gunslinger in the west once it comes to bite detection and hook setting but I've definitely programmed myself over time mentally to know what doesn't feel right at the end of my rod tip, I've had many times where I felt that sudden out of place *Thump* and out of habit I set the hook on fish or snag. So far he's only been able to detect bites when his line starts darting but he thinks every rock or bump is a bite now lol.. to keep this story short how can I best explain to him more on how to detect those slower presentation bites?

Have a seat...stay awhile.....the announcement will eventually come

3 to 5 feet, no deeper than that.

So I plan on throwing paddle tails this year for the fall after having some success burning them in grass over the summer. I personally used a weighted swimbait hook weedless but I was recommended by a friend to try out underspins.. do you guys have any luck on them? what would be a good size weighted hook with one to throw around some 3.8 keitechs with? Do underspins have any advantages to swimbait fishing?

don't the seasons still affect them though? what lures would you recommend for that pond if the fish are lure shy? do the bass still follow that seasonal fall pattern?

no clue, I fish in ponds and mostly shallow lakes (average depth 6 to 8 ft) and it can be hit or miss this time of year, I struggled a lot until early November then it kinda picked up again. then by December died completely, right now the bite has been slow for me. hoping it picks up again though, definitely prepared this year though compared to last year.

Here in Jersey I don't think the pleasure boats are ever gonna go away lol, my home lake gets lowered every year so people can repair docks but I feel like that's not gonna stop em lol

Do they hang out directly under the fountain? Or do they hang out where the fountain water splashes?

1. Senko = Finesse 2. Plastic creature bait = Texas rig 3. Chatterbait = Reaction bait 4. Topwater popper = duh you know... 5. Jerkbait = winter time 6. Finesse Jig = when all else fails.

Bite has been brutal for the past two weeks now. Don't know if it's the moon phases or the early transition that's in effect, hopefully time will tell. Here's one I got after 2 hours of nothing.

This thread is very relatable right now. Past couple coutings the bite has been horrible, always managed to get at least 1 fish though compared to my 3 to 5 limit at my ponds during the mid summer.