How Have You Done This Year Thus Far?

[NCbassmaster4Life]

Just wondering how everyone has done this year in there fishing success,what have you done differently,and if you have any new techniques that have been working for you.

I have done more jigging this year and tried some new soft plastics. So far so good.

[radtech]

haven't really tried any new techniques this year to speak of. I picked up fishing with a crankbait last year. They can be a great "finder" BAIT and a great bait all together! As for as the bite for this year has been slow so far. I'm not catching alot of numbers however I have been catching better quality fish this year! 3 over 5lbs already this year! One that weighed 6 but could have been an 8 or 9 lber if it wouldnt have just got done spawning!

[NILBasser]

Still fishing most of the same baits just in different areas and in a slightly different way.

[NCbassmaster4Life]

Awsume, thanks for the replys.

[ww2farmer]

The open water season started very early with the mild winter we had up here. It started great, mid to late March I was doing things, and fishing areas I usually fish in late April. Catching was not a problem, I had several big fish, and a couple of pretty good days. Then April came, the nice weather went, and so did the good fishing....for me. I struggled for the better part of 2-3 weeks. Between one cold frosty night, followed by cloudless, high barometric pressure days, dropping water temps, or being busy ar work when the small windows of decent fishing were, it was one of the most frustrating April's I can remember. The last week of April things started picking up, and this past week has been decent.

New things? Not really, but I have made a strong effort to gain some confidence in jerkbaits in cold water this spring, and so far so good. Had a few good outings for multiple species in mid to high 40 degree water.

[NCbassmaster4Life]

Thanks for the feedback farmer, yeah the cold fronts didn't help at all.

[GOOCHY]

I agree with ww2farmer. I had a bunch of luck in late March and was catching multiple per day and then just went cold through most of April. Weird cold fronts at night just threw everything off here in Iowa, for me. I'm not the most experienced fisherman but it slowed way, way down.

[flippin and pitchin]

The weather has dictacted everything this year. Abnormally cold temps through early April, low water levels, and high winds. My first outing was April 10th. I have done well with bigger fish but numbers are low. I went out yesterday in 25 MPH 47 degree wind and it hailed on me. I had a seven and one over five and lost three others over three pounds and that was it forover seven ours with the Trolling motor on high all day. I managed my PB largemouth a few weeks ago and got a 5th in a tournament last week end. I can't complain. It wouldn't do any good any way.

[JaxBasser]

I've caught more nice fish (5+ lbs) so far this year then I have in like the past 2 years combined. I've been using soft plastic swimbaits and the fish have been crushing them.

[VictorDevano]

I caught some smaller bass to 2 pounds, but no giants like I hoped for,

[Jim_M]

Spawn and post spawn conditions out here in the southwest deserts. Caught a bunch of 1-1/2 lb rats and some 2-3 lb'ers all from shore so far. All on light finesse rigs. Seriously problems fishing that slow but I am improving some. Need to get the cover off the tinny and start learning to jig in deep water.

[MN Bassin' nOOb]

a big fat 0 since I haven't been out bassin yet, 21 more days till opener =(

x2 on that.

[Scorcher214]

First day of bass fishing since the season started, did better than the guys on boats haha. Just a rage tail craw in bama craw and a keel waited hook......(Thanks BIG-O!).

[A-Jay]

This season is starting out a little slow - hope things pick up soon - like today perhaps ~

A-Jay

[Lund Explorer]

Must be time for all the MI guys to chime in.

Made the first real bass fishing trip this morning. Water temps sitting around 58 and all those funny looking shiny spots have shown up again this spring. Every darn one of them seems to have a young buck sitting on it ready to pounce on the first thing that comes anywhere near these places.

Wasn't much of a challenge to put a couple dozen greenies in the boat, but the top five probably barely squeaked in at 11 - 12 lbs.

[NCbassmaster4Life]

Thanks all for the in-put, I think this years start was shady in most parts of the south the warm weather came rather quick,water temps warmed up, and the bass were in shock....most of them that I was fishing for were.

Started out in late March fishing a tournement, the water temps were decent enough for the bass to spawn only one problem we had a fair amount of rain so the lake was up rather high then usual.

Needless to say I had to pull back a little,instead of fishing in the 1-2 ft range I had to drop back into 5-6ft of water and cast into the 3-4ft range where the water would have been normal at 1-2ft.

It produced a couple of mamas,but most were still in post spawn??? It was definitly a learning process for me and I used this to learn about the bass's pattern and how they are used to it gradually warming up instead of spurts.

[jerzeeD]

Ive done ok... Not high in numbers, but the sizes I have been catching habe made me pretty happy. Nailed 3-4 in the 4-5 lb. Range already as far as LM bass go. The trout fishing has been ok as well.

[tpsneaks18]

I've had an amazing year so far as far as numbers...I'm a tourney guy- not just some ****** who fishes only for money but I fish w ith a tournament mentality, even though I'm leisure fishing most of the time, I'm testing different techniques and always take my fishing fairly seriously but definitely always laugh and take in the beauty...So my point is when I'm fishing I'm usually tallying in my head what my best 5 would estimate out to be...and so far this year I've done great as far as that goes. I'm in MA so we are still very much pre-spawn, only now starting to see some beds start to be fanned off, I'd say the new moon on the 21st is when we'll see a good chunk of our fish start spawning. They seem to follow that "new moon" crap pretty good out here. But we've had a warm winter (NO ice) and water's warming so we'll see. But I have avg'd a solid 15lbs with man 18-20lbs limits...and around here that's almost always enough to put you in the money or win. Granted...there isnt 15-40 other boats out there when im fun-fishing so not getting too excited.

But no HAWGS yet this year...I haven't fished many HAWG holding waters (the ponds with the herring runs emptying right into them or the ponds stocked with 100's of Trout- these ponds, naturally grow giants) yet this year tho so not too down on things.

Also the growth in the ponds I live on has seemed to really get better...2.5-3lbs AVG....but still it's like EVERY fish is that size...2.5-3.5...hardly ever over 4, very rarely 5...and that's def the biggest that I think you'd get outta there. I've caught a 5lbs smallmouth, 5-4...never a weighed 5lbs lm...a few i thought were 5 but still...it's odd.

[A-Jay]

Must be time for all the MI guys to chime in.

Made the first real bass fishing trip this morning. Water temps sitting around 58 and all those funny looking shiny spots have shown up again this spring. Every darn one of them seems to have a young buck sitting on it ready to pounce on the first thing that comes anywhere near these places.

Wasn't much of a challenge to put a couple dozen greenies in the boat, but the top five probably barely squeaked in at 11 - 12 lbs.

OK - In the last two days the bite for lmb has picked up considerably. Haven't seen any beds yet but much of the local population is shallow and very cooperative. Mostly smaller fish so far. I've been probing that first break looking for the fat girls. Today looks sweet and I'm heading out . . . . . . . . . . . Retirement is good.

A-Jay

[wisconsin heat]

The two days ive been out its been okay. the first day i caught about ten bass. And I pulled a "5 pounder" on shore and it weighed 3lbs 9oz LOL. Which Ties my personal best:). The water was really murky and i caught em on day one by flipping a jig n pitboss, and on a double colorado spinnerbait. Day two i only caught two fish, but the water was more murky and I didnt fish nearly as long as i did the first. I caught em on a chartreuse chatterbait

[Lund Explorer]

OK - In the last two days the bite for lmb has picked up considerably. Haven't seen any beds yet but much of the local population is shallow and very cooperative. Mostly smaller fish so far. I've been probing that first break looking for the fat girls. Today looks sweet and I'm heading out . . . . . . . . . . . Retirement is good.

A-Jay

I'm almost fully there, just to the "Tired" stage. Have to work today through Thursday and then I'm done until June 4th. That should give me a few days on the water for the pre-to-post thingy. Schedule has me sitting at my desk for 8 days in June and then I'm headed north for two weeks until July 3rd. Too many honey-do's in July, so I've got a reserved campsite near Hamlin Lake from Aug 14th until Sept 23rd to make amends.

I'm either going to get in a lot of fishing this year, or we're are in for a bunch of rain!

[bassmaster3541]

It has been on and off, the weather has been really wierd up here.

My biggest so far this year was just under 8, on a horny toad.

New baits I have been getting into are zoom Ol' Monsters, I have never been much of a worm fisherman but I have gotten really into them this year and had some very good days with them

[ChrisAW]

One trip out so far. It was about a 3 hour trip with my girlfriend and a friend of mine. I boated 5 fish, girlfriend got one little one, friend zero. They both gave up, and I ended up catching this 5.8lber.

[Scorcher214]

Had a good day today in SE Michigan. About 10 boated and 2 had gotten off. Biggest one was probably around 3lbs. All the bass I caught were shallow in and around lily pads. Or where there were a decent amount of weeds but not too clogged. All on a weightless fluke simply swam across the surface. No action or anything. Just reeled in.

And I had another 2 hit on a snagg proof frog with a buzzbait blade on it. But I suck at setting the hook on frogs.

[BassinNY]

I'm using 5 baits and my average bass sizes are larger. By concentrating more on locating structure and cover my quantity is up as well.