Missed 22 Bass Today In An Hour, Whats Up?

[basslover12345]

I went to large lake by my house today with some slider heads and some 4" Slider worms, I MISSED 22 BASS in an hour, Some of them I could see. One of them grabbed the worm, but not the hook, others would run up to it and chase it as I would swim it along slowly. I tried the sweep set for the bites I couldnt see, but even missed those, I was not able to get any of these fish hooked up, I was using the 7' Medium action rod, I may just go to the 6'6??? I only had one bass eat the worm on the fall. I tried 3" Junebug chartreuse slider worms, 4" black/chartreuse slider worms, and Motor oil orange slider worms, I even tried going as small as a 3" slider grub, thats when they started to just chase it and follow it. I tried a Zoom Centipede in green pumpkin with its tail dipped in Chartreuse JJ's magic garlic dye, and did not have any better results. The fish that I was able to see were swimming in groups, I saw up to 5 bass from 12-14 inches all swimming in one group but could not get them to bite the slider head. Any suggestions?

[SirSnookalot]

Try a lure with exposed hooks.

[clayton86]

try giving it a pause before you set the hook maybe your not letting them get a hold of it good and setting to soon I know I have this problem when I can see a fish take a bait I get exited and just set the hook. For the ones you didn't see maybe you were still setting to soon getting worked up because you were missing so many. iv done it having a bad day getting bit left and right but not landing any or as many as i should get frustrated and start messing up even more just got to take a step back and concentrate.

Also on a side note I seen you got a question of yours published in Bassin' magazine I recognized your avatar pic very cool

[central.PA.bass]

Are you sure you were missing bass and not small panfish or shad?

[smalljaw67]

First of all you were using a medium power rod, I'm assuming it was a fast action since you were using it for worms. The biggest problem you had was the way you were fishing, the slider system works but you need to fish it slowly and if you were able to see the fish then they were more then likely able to see you and that doesn't help. Another thing that was mentioned was the type of fish, you may have watched a few but are you sure all you were missing were bass? Pan fish are notorious for grabbing the tails of small finesse worms, even shaky heads with a 6" worm suffer from bluegill bites. Here are some things you can do, number 1 lose the slider head and instead rig a 4" senko or dinger with a 1/0 EWG worm hook wacky style and see if they eat it or just grab the ends. If they grab the ends of that then go with the same 4" senko texas rigged weightless with a 2/0 EWG worm hook, that should get them to eat it also but don't be surprised if the bites you are getting are coming from pan fish, and easy way to tell is what I call the machine gun bite, it is 4 or 5 taps in a row really quick, 9 out of 10 times it is a pan fish and the 1 time it isn't it is a small 8" or 10" bass.

[basslover12345]

They werent taps at all, It was a really hard THUMP

[Sam]

Congratulations! You have just made the Guinness Book of World Records for missing 22 bass in an hour.

We now have a Guinness World Record Holder among us!!!!!

Just kidding.

Here are some suggestions to add to and support those above:

1. Try using a 1/8 ounce jig head with your Slider worms or same size bullet weight rigged Texas style.

2. Try a drop shot with those Slider worms.

3. Save your pennies and dimes and go for a graphite 7-foot medium heavy fast tip rod, be it spinning or baitcaster.

4. If you are not using a spinning rig please do so.

5. Stay away from the bank. If you can see them they can see you.

6. Cast. Let fall. Let sit for at least 15 to 20 seconds. Move with small twitch. Let sit. Do this all the way back to the bank. Take your time. Let the plastic sit so the bass can get a good look at it. Remember, bass are inquisitive animals and they will stop to look at your presentation.

Sliders have a different fall. If the bass do not like th fall they will just watch your bait. You have to then change to a Texas rig or drop shot or even rig the Slider worms wacky. Do something different. Change colors and styles.

If all else fails, throw a Senko!!!!!

[Wayne P.]

Panfish will grab a Slider eagerly by the tail, especially one with a colored tail. A bass with take the whole thing unless they are less than 4" in length.

[basslover12345]

Panfish will grab a Slider eagerly by the tail, especially one with a colored tail. A bass with take the whole thing unless they are less than 4" in length.

Then how do you explain the large thumps out in deep water?

[Wayne P.]

Blue gills.

I've caught catfish, snapping turtles. painted turtles crappie, blue gills, shell crackers, pickerel, bowfin, largemouth and smallmouth bass, stripped bass, white perch, warmouth, and some others with that presentation in over 35 years of use. It isn't a bass lure, it's a fish lure. If you actually feel a hit, usually it is not a bass unless it is very small.

The most frequent color I use is Grape. It didn't take me long to realize a colored tail version is a pan fish magnet.

[North Ga Hillbilly]

Sounds like bedding bream getting upset at your intrusion.

NGaHB

[ww2farmer]

Bluegills will hit a 6xd so hard they will knock slack in your line. I have also seen them knock a spro frog out of the water. Some of the biggest "thumps" I get when dropshotting are from bluegills. More often than not a bass will just suck it in and swim off with it.

[Glenn]

Ok, it hasn't been mentioned yet, so I'll ask - was your hook sharp? I mean, did you check it?

I once lost 3 fish in a row during a tournament before I discovered I had bent the hook point when I snagged it on a rock. Lesson learned: even if you know it's sharp, check it.

[logan9209]

I have to disagree with some people: 50% of bass that I've caught have been a thump or a thump thump. That being said, I am so glad that I'm not the only one missing hook ups some times. The other day I was using a tube. The bass grabbed it, I got excited (hadn't had a bite in days) and pulled it out of his mouth. He went back after it. Same thing. The third time I didn't realize he had it in his mouth and when I thought I was twitching it a bit, he took off with it. Missed him again. The last two times I actually saw it take place and know that it was a bass. The problem turned out that I had the hook buried too deep in the tube.

Since I disagreed with some people I will now agree with most people. Panfish and turtles will go after many of the same baits we use for bass. I'm still amazed by the small size fish, any fish, that will try to wrap their lips around a lure 2 times their size. Panfish are notorious in my lake for ripping pieces off of a ribbon tail worm. Turtles......it's funny and sad to watch them chase frogs, spooks, spinnerbaits, and poppers.

Also, there have been plenty of times that I have missed a hook set and just let the lure sit for a few seconds to give the bass an opportunity to have a second (or third) go at it. It works. If they get the hook the first time then there's a slim chance it might go after it again, but not likely. Remember when fishing soft plastics, for the most part it's a game of patience. What usually triggers bass to hit a soft plastic is the way it moves and not how fast it's moving. Start with a very slow pace and if that doesn't work then tinker with the speed and let the bass tell you what they want. And if the bass are traveling in schools, when one sees your presentation so will a couple of others and then there's competition to see who gets to it first.

Make sure you have the right hook size for the job. I catch a lot of bass lately with Yum Dinger 5" black/blue flake t-rigged on a 3/0 or 2/0 hook. I use those so that the worm will still flutter down. Then once it hits bottom, with your rod, it jerks up then flutters down. It still retains most of the wacky rig motion but it's completely weedless which is great for my lake. Anyways, hope you got what info you needed.

[SirSnookalot]

It probably is panfish like others have mentioned. Everyone misses some, but 22 in a row tells me it isn't bass or it's user error, any other explanation is moot because no one should miss 22 using a bent paper clip on a cane pole with a piece of twine.

I would put on an inline spinner to see exactly what fish are there, both bass and panfish are going to hit it and you won't have too wait long.

I don't mean this to be flippant, but isn't worth being upset over losing a 12" fish, it's not like losing the benchmark 5 pounder. However I would be concerned as why I was losing fish, your equipment is not the problem, I could understand if you missed a few, but not 22.

One positive thing, 22 strikes in an hour isn't shabby, you're in an area that has fish.

[*Hootie]

Im going with the probably panfish crowd.

Hootie

[basslover12345]

It probably is panfish like others have mentioned. Everyone misses some, but 22 in a row tells me it isn't bass or it's user error, any other explanation is moot because no one should miss 22 using a bent paper clip on a cane pole with a piece of twine.

I would put on an inline spinner to see exactly what fish are there, both bass and panfish are going to hit it and you won't have too wait long.

I don't mean this to be flippant, but isn't worth being upset over losing a 12" fish, it's not like losing the benchmark 5 pounder. However I would be concerned as why I was losing fish, your equipment is not the problem, I could understand if you missed a few, but not 22.

One positive thing, 22 strikes in an hour isn't shabby, you're in an area that has fish.

I'm not upset at all, I just have a tournament this weekemd where I will be using this lure and I want to make sure my hook sets, set-up, and presentation are as perfect as they can be so I don't miss fish in the tournament.

[basslover12345]

This lake is known for small fish, I typically only catch 10-12 inch bass from the spot I was fishing. The biggest bass That I've pulled from this lake was 17"

[Crestliner2008]

I've never known a bass that has struck a Senko and let it go! The heavy salt content just about precludes them releasing it. Try a 4" Senko and when the line moves off (forget the thumps or taps), then he's got it fully in his mouth. And if it's a movement - stop - movement, then it's a gill and not a bass. With a bass, your line will move and move and move....period. Reel down until you feel pressure and then set. No way you can miss 22 with this technique. As far as the thumps and misses go, they are probably bluegill. I've seen them hit so hard they cut the Senko in half!

Now as far as Sliders go, I don't have a lot of experience with them, so I'll let the more informed anglers here deal with those. Presented with what you are faced with, I'd dose up those slider worms heavy with scent and see if that makes them take it all in. Or....go with the Senko approach above.

[Squid4]

maybe try a smaller hook

[basslover12345]

Well, I went out today to the same exact spot for two hours, threw a slew of different types of lures, Caught 2 10-11 inch bass that bit the exact same way they were yesterday in the exact same stretch of bank.

[out_doors_guy]

At times it is difficult, if not impossible, to differantiate between a panfish strike and a bass strike. Panfish, when real agressive, can nail a small bait as hard as a bass. My best advice is; first, are your hooks sharp? Slider jig hooks, as with a lot of jig hooks, need sharpening out of the package and if you have caught a few fish on a particular jig head, I can say without doubt it needs sharpened. Secondly, if fish are not getting the bait all the way, you may need to slow down your presentation. The fish may be in a nuetral mood and just nipping at it as it goes by. Slowing down a hair may allow them to take the bait all the way.