In Pursuit Of Giant Bass ~ One Man's Journey

[00 mod]

With all of the thought process & planning I'm almost afraid of what you might dredge up. New Michigan PB lookout here comes MR BIG BASS A-Jay. Good luck.

Fixed it for you...

[A-Jay]

**** Trip Log ****

 

Fished 7am – 7pm  -  Air temp low 60’s – Water Temp 52-55  Winds NNW 15 -20 and Gusty  :c(   Water Carity - Very Clear,  Could see the bottom in 18 - 20ft.

 

  Well my first trip was a bit Brutal.  The wind was really not cooperating at all.  Normally I’m a big fan of a good stiff breeze but this was a little much.  I learned a few things right away.

1. Stitching with 10lb braid in the wind is a *****.
2. Precision anchoring (with 2 anchors) in 20 knot winds in a canoe is also a *****.
3. Pike will eat a Stitched worm, and a Stitched stick bait, and just about anything else.  OK I guess I already knew that one.

 

 So I had a basic plan which included a few spots where I wanted to set up.  I knew the wind was going to make it tough and once on the water I had to modify my plan.  Essentially I had to fish areas that were sheltered from the wind at least a little. 

 

  In the book, Mr. Bill talks about fishing only one or two spots a day.  I think I know why he did that besides wanting to wait for the fish to turn on; setting up and then hauling in the 2 anchors gets old rather quickly.

 

  I fished 3 “spots” today.   They were all similar; a drop just outside a spawning area/cove where the depth goes quickly from 25 ft. down to 35-40ft.  I anchored 3 ways on each spot.  I sat shallow and worked up the drop.  I sat deep and worked down the drop. And I sat parallel to the drop and worked along the drop.  This turned out to be the one that got me bit.   In the somewhat calmer water, it was much easier to first, perform the stitching action without the line blowing all over the place and two, actually maintain some contact with the bait.  A single split shot was just too light today.  I ended up re-rigging a few times and settled on a pegged 1/16 oz. lead bullet weight.  6 inch Jelly worms and 5 inch Stick baits got bit.  No Giants but a few bantam weight bass both brown and green variety made an appearance along with half a dozen 2-4lb pike.   Surprisingly I did not get bit off today.  All the bites came near the top end of the drop closer to 25 ft. than 30 ft.  According to the author, catching this size bass in an area means it’s time to look elsewhere.  I was just trying to stay out of the gusty winds.  Also, I haven’t been that happy to catch 2 lb. bass in a long time.   

 

 Over all, this first trip was better than I expected in that I actually caught a few fish.  I will admit however, that it was all I could do to keep from pitching a jig and craw at the deep water docks all day.  With the high sun and blue skys, there are almost always a few decent fish to be had. 

 

  I’m back on the water in the morning.  With a forecast for less wind, I’m hoping to get on the spots I could not fish today.  

A-Jay

[hookset on 3]

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

[Paul Roberts]

During the pre spawn and right through the post spawn, I'll be looking for and fishing deep staging spots ( I hope).

 

 Water temp will be whatever they will be - I'll just be stitching my *** off all day.

 

 

A-Jay

This was my thought too. You'll want to ID the thermocline depth every time you go out. More if you have wind. Those big hooks could just be pike, or holdover trout. Stitch your *** off in the right habitat.

[Basseditor]

I haven't read the book yet. But, my experience finds big bass are different. They go active sooner in the year and stay active longer in the fall/winter. I'm lucky to now live within 5 hours of some big bass lakes. In the last 18 months I've broken my PB several times, from 7s, to 8s, to several 9s and finally a 10. When you shake off 5-6s so you can get back to catching 8s-9, you know you are onto something.

Baits of choice:

7" Senkos

10" power worms (a faster stitching speed though). I'm going to 12" next.

And 6XD.

My son got a 13.35 on one of those trips.

[A-Jay]

Thank you very much for the input gentlemen. I do appreciate it.

 Looks like the hurricane has subsided a bit.

I'm out the door

 

A-Jay

[00 mod]

Good luck and let us know how you end up!!!

 

Jeff

[SPEEDBEAD.]

AJ, just a thought to help you along a bit.

 

Consider trying a Water Gremlin Bull Shot crimped on your splitshot rig instead of the round shot. Better than a pegged bullet, IMO, for this rig/technique.

[K_Mac]

Interesting thread AJ. I wish you well, and respect your commitment to this pursuit. I will be watching closely. Like you, I am often tempted to do what has worked in the past instead of trying other techniques. Good luck!

[Brian6428]

Can't wait to see how this thread progresses. Good luck!

[A-Jay]

**** Trip Log ****

 

Fished 7am – 6pm - Air temp low 60’s – Water Temp 53-57 - Winds NW 10 -15 Water is very clear.

 

  It was a nice quiet, calm morning and I like it that way.  I was able to anchor up on one of the spots I planned on fishing yesterday.  I got on it first thing.  It’s a drop in front of a creek which connects two of the lakes.  With the wind blowing from the north for 3 days, there’s a nice current dumping into the second lake and down the drop.  I parked my butt there in 38 ft till noon.  There was a bit of a flurry right off the bat; a small green one and then a mid-sized brown one.  Both ate a Black Jelly worm.  That was it.  Even though I’m fishing painfully slow, the morning went by surprisingly quick.  And right on cue, the wind came on around 11:30.  I hauled up the mushrooms and went on a little recon mission looking for what might be a good place to start in the morning.

   I marked a few spots off main lake points that might be worth investigating as the summer comes on.  But until the post spawn, I’m sticking with the areas associated with the reproduction process.

 I could really use a new electronic unit.  The old Hummingbird Sonar/GPS combo is not really suited for this venture.  What was that ?  . . . I think I hear a Dragonfly . . . . . . . . .

 

I’m back on the water in the morning.

 

A-Jay

 

 

[00 mod]

Keep at it and don't give up!  Look forward to tomorrow's adventure!
 

Jeff

[A-Jay]

Rain fore casted here for the weekend.

 

My property is in need of some TLC, so I'm on it.

 

Might get out again on Sunday.

 

A-Jay

[Dwight Hottle]

Did you forget your raingear again?

[A-Jay]

Have you ever spent a few days on the water in less than idea conditions lets say.

 

Then you take a day off to take care of business and the day turns out to be perfect weather wise.

 

So you're looking up at the sky,  bumming out and kicking yourself all day for not going.

 

Yea, well that's me today . . . . . . . .

 

 

A-Jay

[RoachDad]

I'll bite.  What does SCROUNGA stand for?

[shimmy]

A-Jay, i am loving what you are doing here. My only worry is you burn out and put that jig on and hit the shores...Hang in there, i think this thread could become unbelievable if you keep it up and stick to your guns. Don't putter out, can't wait till your first 7+ fishing this way. Get that net.

[A-Jay]

Thanks for the support shimmy.  And I hear you about burning out, I'll keep it in mind. 

Sometimes I am a victim of my own enthusiasm.  So I'll try to go for quality and perhaps not so much quantity.  Even though is early in the game, one of my many initial impressions is that there will have to be a decent amount of "putting in the time" with this venture.  Sort of the nature of the beast.

 

A-Jay

[SPEEDBEAD.]

 

Hey, you wanted to learn the ins and outs of fishing swimbaits right? Overcoming and accepting that right there will put you on the right path for sure.

 

I like this, keep it up. We're watching......

[A-Jay]

Hey Wayne, I have the easy part in all this,  all I have to do is go fishing

 

You guys are the ones that have chosen to follow this thread.

 

How long can you endure my zany posts ?

 

 

A-Jay

[Deadeye-1]

Alright I gotta say that I find this thread interesting. However since I have not ever read the book, could you explain exactly what stiching a worm is?

[Deadeye-1]

Well I did some researching and found out what it is. Seems to be some disagreement on how the line is retrived, but the concept is the same. Good Luck and keep posting!

[ClackerBuzz]

Its been a year since i read the book so I need some clarification for the sake of being a dedicated stitching a-thread follower  .

wasn't bill willing to employ any or all of the tactics mentioned in the book on a giving outing?

in short, aren't you allowed to use jigs to locate active fish then switch to stitching to try and instigate hawgs? or if stitching isn't producing switch to live bait?  i'm under the impression if the fish are in a truly negative mood, stitching was his go-to method.  the other day was ruff as far as conditions and bites but did you only stick to stitching and if so why?

[A-Jay]

On this journey, along with worm rig and slow presentation, I am planning on using Jigs, Spinnerbaits, and Crankbaits but in the areas and in the fashion mentioned in the book. As I'm just learning the slow deep worm deal, I've been trying to fish it where ever and when ever I can. I do really enjoy fishing the other three baits quite a bit, especially deep. So that time will come soon enough.

As for the Stitching technique itself. I tried the loop through / around the fingers method that is described in the book and I had problems managing the 10lb. braid. I have modified the retrieve to something very similar to a slow strip type retrieve used when fly fishing. I am able to manage the line better but just as importantly, I move the bait only inches at a time AND I can stay in contact with the bait. I hold the rod up in front of the handle so the blank is in my hand. The combination of the braid in one hand and the blank in the other makes for maximum sensitivity.

 

A-Jay

[Dwight Hottle]

Sooner or later this tread is going to promote some PICTURES. We all can't wait!