Having A Hard Time Getting Bites.

[SFL BassHunter]

Hey guys so I've been out bass fishing a ton of times and only caught some a very small number of times. I'm hoping to post what I've used and what gear I have to see if maybe I am doing something wrong. Obviously you wouldn't know if I am doing something wrong with the movements of my rod but if I can rule out the gear I have then maybe its just technique. I've watched a ton of videos on how to use each lure so I think I'm doing what I should be doing. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting pretty frustrated. I've had at least 5 outings with 0 fish caught while being out there for at least 6 hours each time (which gives me plenty of time to try different baits).

 

Lakes and Canals I've fished -

Canal behind Homestead Speedway (Unsuccessfully)

Snapper Creek like 8 times (Caught 1 peacock)

8th st canal in the city and in the glades (0 fish)

Tropical Park 5 or 6 times (3 Largemouth same day)

Lake Osborne (1 Largemouth)

Vista View (1 Largemouth and lost him bringing him in)

Amelia Earhart Park (0 Fish)

 

Rod - Shimano Sojourn Spinning 

7'0" Heavy Fast Mono Line Rating12-25' Power Pro Line Rating15-40 Lure Rating 1/2-3oz

 

Line - Spiderwire Stealth Braid 15 lb (Moss Green)

 

Leader - Fluorocarbon 15 lb (Clear)

 

Reel  - Shimano Sienna 2500 

Line Retrieve Per Crank (in.)  29 Line Capacity (# Test/Yards)  6/200,8/140,10/120 Power Pro Line Capacity (# Test/Yards) 10/170,15/145,30/95 Max Drag (lbs.) 7.0 Ball Bearings 3 Roller Bearings  1 Gear Ratio  5.2:1 T Type Weight 9.0

 

 

Baits & Lures - 

Havoc Pit Boss 4" (Big Texan)

Kalin's Sizmic Toad Jr. (Chartreuse) 

Culprit Worm 7.5" (Crawdad)

Havoc Juice Worm 8" (Watermelon)

Hawk Hawg 5" (Green Pumpkin & Bama Bug)

 

Top Water Poppers. Not these exact ones, mine are hand painted. They do their job popping and creating a ton of splash. Mine are baby bass and bluegill colors. 

 

 

Crankbait - Shallow - 3 1/4 inch Total Length - 1/2 oz

 

Lipless - Sinking - 2 3/4 inch - 2/3 oz - Tight Wiggle, Makes good Sound.

 

Jigs -  1/2 oz  (Tried w/ and w/o white grub trailer and Pit Boss trailer)

 

I also use the same rod for Saltwater Fishing and at that point I change my leader to mono 30 - 50 lbs (I am not having trouble catching fish in saltwater. LOL its those d**n bass that are tricky.)

To end it, I just want to say that I have tried fast retrieves, slow retrieves, and super slow (with the worms). Thanks in advanced for anyone who actually read all this and has some advice for me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[geo g]

Some places are better then others.  I fished vista view twice last week and probably tomorrow.  Been catching quality bass there and pretty good numbers.  The alley this weekend two of us were there for 4 hours and had over 100+ bass.  I fish quite different then you this time of year.  I'm throwing plastics with a 1/32 or 1/16 weight and fishing very slow.  Most of the fish I have been catching were down deep, and took the bait while at rest.  Two or three small jerks and then let it sit.  Ill let it sit 10 to 15 seconds and then repeat the process.  You have to be a line watcher for any movement.  Senkos, flukes, trick worms, zoom u tails.  With the u tails ill slow roll it along the bottom and stop once in a while.  Watermelon red,  W/M glitter, Okeechobee, and black, are great colors for South Florida.  With these real clear waters like vista view and the alley right now west of the river, I use 100% floro line and long casts.   Good luck if you go, I hope this helps a little.

[SnazzySenko]

I've been through this same problem so I know what you mean. One of the biggest problems I saw was fishing high pressured areas. In your case Amelia Earheart, Tropical Park, and Vista View are very high pressured lakes because they are parks. You will see that fishing hidden ponds, lakes, and canals in non pressured areas produce a lot more fish because the fish constantly see the same things. Most of the time being worms and white/green/grey/etc crankbaits. When you go out do you try every bait (literally)? If a worm isn't producing I'll switch to a small shad colored crankbait. If that doesn't work I will try a fluke in green then white. Then it just keeps going. It may be tiring but it's worth it when you figure out what the fish like. I also reccomend keeping a fishing log (there is one here) for every place you fish. Check the patterns and find out what works from that. Another big factor is time of fishing. Go out dawn and dusk. Fishing at noon will probably result in poor fishing. If I remember anything else I will post again.

[SFL BassHunter]

That does help, I might be going way to fast. What I consider slow seems fast compared to what you are doing. I actually did Vista View on Monday. I caught a decent fish but I lost it. I was getting frustrated because I had been there all morning. I had a bass boil on my top water early but couldn't reproduce the bite. A group of guys showed up and one guy went to a spot I had just fished with a worm and less than 5 minutes in he caught a nice one. I was on the other side of the lake at the time and was cursing under my breath. I had just been there and then all the sudden I got my only bite. I set the hook and reeled it in, but lost him about a couple feet from me. 

 

I texas rig my worms, lizards, creatures. That is the other thing I forgot to mention.

[SFL BassHunter]

I've been through this same problem so I know what you mean. One of the biggest problems I saw was fishing high pressured areas. In your case Amelia Earheart, Tropical Park, and Vista View are very high pressured lakes because they are parks. You will see that fishing hidden ponds, lakes, and canals in non pressured areas produce a lot more fish because the fish constantly see the same things. Most of the time being worms and white/green/grey/etc crankbaits. When you go out do you try every bait (literally)? If a worm isn't producing I'll switch to a small shad colored crankbait. If that doesn't work I will try a fluke in green then white. Then it just keeps going. It may be tiring but it's worth it when you figure out what the fish like. I also reccomend keeping a fishing log (there is one here) for every place you fish. Check the patterns and find out what works from that. Another big factor is time of fishing. Go out dawn and dusk. Fishing at noon will probably result in poor fishing. If I remember anything else I will post again.

Hey Snazzy thanks for the info. Yes I do fish at high pressure places and I can see how that makes it harder to catch fish. I have tried Holiday Park, 75 rest areas, and after going to Vista View I went to Holey Land and got into some canals there. Holiday Park and 75 rest area are high pressure too but I hear guys catching fish on these canals left and right. To answer your question, yes. I try every lure, ever color, every soft plastic in my arsenal every time I go out there. 

 

I normally head out before the sun comes up to get that first light bite. I usually start top water early. I don't finish fishing till the sun sets. Sometimes I am out there for 4 to 8 hours. Depends on the day. Monday I got out there at 8 am and finished up at 6pm. So you can imagine I tried everything in my tackle box. 

[SnazzySenko]

Hey Snazzy thanks for the info. Yes I do fish at high pressure places and I can see how that makes it harder to catch fish. I have tried Holiday Park, 75 rest areas, and after going to Vista View I went to Holey Land and got into some canals there. Holiday Park and 75 rest area are high pressure too but I hear guys catching fish on these canals left and right. To answer your question, yes. I try every lure, ever color, every soft plastic in my arsenal every time I go out there. 

 

I normally head out before the sun comes up to get that first light bite. I usually start top water early. I don't finish fishing till the sun sets. Sometimes I am out there for 4 to 8 hours. Depends on the day. Monday I got out there at 8 am and finished up at 6pm. So you can imagine I tried everything in my tackle box.

I've never had any luck fishing at Holiday Park. Normally fish there for about 4-6 hours and catch maybe 5 bass. Alligator Alley which is along I-75 is high pressured but somehow it just keeps producing 100+ fish a day. Try fishing slow like geo said. By slow I mean VERY SLOW like not touching your reel for 20-30 seconds then a few jerks and a little reel then let it sit again. It improved my fishing a lot. Patience is what it takes. You will start to learn the patterns of each place you fish. It's tough this time fishing the canals of Holiday because most of the fish are in the flats. Post-spawn will make it better.

[Pz3]

I don't know if you are having the same issues I have been having. Im land locked meaning I can only fish canals and shallow areas. I did see fish spawning a few weeks ago but since then after a few of the cold fronts that came through no fish are to be seen anywhere in their beds. Making me think they all moved to drop offs near the shallows. I have no way to test this theory though until I get a boat! How ever I did manage to catch a few small bass in small holes I found in the canals (est avg depth = 3-4ft and holes were 8-10ft deep).  I managed to get them on a Jig and later on lost that jig trying to explore some submerged crypress tree roots.

 

Haven't had a bite since lol.

[SFL BassHunter]

I don't know if you are having the same issues I have been having. Im land locked meaning I can only fish canals and shallow areas. I did see fish spawning a few weeks ago but since then after a few of the cold fronts that came through no fish are to be seen anywhere in their beds. Making me think they all moved to drop offs near the shallows. I have no way to test this theory though until I get a boat! How ever I did manage to catch a few small bass in small holes I found in the canals (est avg depth = 3-4ft and holes were 8-10ft deep).  I managed to get them on a Jig and later on lost that jig trying to explore some submerged crypress tree roots.

 

Haven't had a bite since lol.

Pz3,

I do have the same problem as you. I am landlocked and I have noticed that I have not seen any fish shallow. For example in Tropical Park before the cold fronts I could spot some bass, now I can't. Vista View had 2 or 3 small bass (I'm talking 5 or 6 inches) on the shallow part. That lake does seem to have a drop off and it is reachable. I figured some of the fish would be up against the drop off wall but I got the 1 bite. Oh and lost several hooks and worms and bullet weights on the rock wall. 

[BassinLou]

Dick pm sent.

[BassinLou]

Fishing lately at least for me at Amelia, has been slow. I have caught some nice fish though. One of key things I am finding out, is many of you are going to many places to fish and thats great. It provides you variety. But how many of you really know the spots you are fishing? Can u id what seasonal pattern will work given certain situations. I will use Geo G in this example. I have had the good fortune to fish with him several times at his spots. He can tell you what will/ or will not work at any given point. He also knows just about every nook and cranny of each of his spots. That alone, is priceless info. I beleive to be a good bank fisherman you have to be very observant and establish sound game plans and really get know your spots.

[MCS]

Good post Lou this is so true.

[SFL BassHunter]

Lou that makes a ton of sense. I guess my theory was, find the fish. If they aren't at this lake, go to the other lake. Instead of there have to be fish here, I just need to learn this spot.

[Bassintheweeds]

One thing I noticed just by your responses, just relax a little if you see a guy catch a fish don't get mad. Observe. Notice how he is fishing what he is throwing that info alone can help you determine what stage there fish are in (seems like its spring for you Florida folks) or what thrush are holding on.

Don't get me wrong I know how much it sucks to watch other peoples success and not know how they do it even though you are putting the time and effort in. Just slow down and have fun, the fishing will come.

[Pz3]

I go all over the nearby lakes, try tons of different areas and fish them very thoroughly. I have a set method to go through each and everyone of my baits, speeds, patterns, and watch weather patterns, water tempartures to get a better idea on how that all factors in. I've mastered the warm water, cold front, high pressure front. Now this high pressure with cold water im still adjusting to it. Fish seem like their just as bipolar as the weather. Real active one day and slugs the next.  It just hasnt been working out at all as of late. So I've come to the conclusion that if this rutt im in now happens anytime in the future. I will just explore new lakes. Here is why......

 

 

For example, the past week frustrated me so much. I went out and found a new area to fish from shore on Lake Toho. Awesome new pier, not really deep but tons of grass and open water to play in. I spent all day going through my techniques. Starting with top water, green pumpkin, ultravibe. Then go through all my plastic colors. Changing speeds and patterns. Then I add a little weight and using the same worms go through them again. Then add some more weight.... blah blah so forth. If I can't find them on plastics I will switch to crankbaits, spinners, or jigs.

 

Sure enough out of everything I tried today. Using a beefy Muskrat (similare to a zoom Zhog) in a green pumpkin w/ red gold flake. A monster fish, looked to be over 10lbs came out of the grass rammed it but didn't even open up to get a taste (guessing he didn't like my muskrat very much). Suprisingly he hit it while I was reeling pretty dang fast. So I repeated the technique and tried finding him again. Sure enough same thing again (tried pausing this time and he took off). Then that was the end of bass fishing for me today. The rest of my day was spent exploring the area I was fishing. I even recovered a line with a nice Jig on the end of it from the abyss. Manage to catch a crapie (white bomber), 2 pickerals (black trick worms), and went home. But.....

 

All in all bass or no bass, I had a lot of fun playing around today. Was enjoyable, still got skunked though and frankly, I've caught more crappie and pickerals then bass the past two weeks. Have to admit, rather enjoy the pickerals. Fun fish to catch, makes me think I would enjoy catching snakeheads down south.

[SFL BassHunter]

Trust me I don't get mad at others success. I was just mad that I had been fishing there just 2 minutes prior and didn't land a fish. More mad at myself lol. 

I find it fun and relaxing which is why I go fishing. But after spending so many hours out there and nothing to show for it, you start getting concerned that you're doing something wrong. 

Ultimately I go fishing to catch fish otherwise I would just take a lawn chair to the park and sit there watching the water lol. 

[Pz3]

Trust me I don't get mad at others success. I was just mad that I had been fishing there just 2 minutes prior and didn't land a fish. More mad at myself lol. 

I find it fun and relaxing which is why I go fishing. But after spending so many hours out there and nothing to show for it, you start getting concerned that you're doing something wrong. 

Ultimately I go fishing to catch fish otherwise I would just take a lawn chair to the park and sit there watching the water lol. 

 

Lawn chair + beer + lake. Im okay with that. Lets be realistic about it, Its harder fishing from the shore, period. If you are fishing from the shore you can only fish where you can and fish won't always be there. I do find that night fishing most of my spots yields better results and windy days do as well. Lowered visibility in the water tends to make the fish move around more. There is always exceptions to this, usually depending on the weather patterns.

[BassinLou]

Bank fishing does have its limitations. Fortunately, for us down here in S. FL. we have miles and miles of canals that can be fished . If you are willing to cover a lot of water you will come across fish. Not all sections of canals are the same. Yes, they are all bowl shape, but the cover and contours change in many areas. Take the time to cover the different levels and you will find what the fish are after. What I mean by that and I think it was Bocabasser who said it best, cover the top water, middle depth, and the bottom. Whichever, level you have success in, you know where to concentrate your efforts. 

[Pz3]

Thats one thing im jelous about... Couple canals here but they arent very long.

[BassinLou]

Thats one thing im jelous about... Couple canals here but they arent very long.

 

You will definitely go crazy down here. We have miles and miles of fishable canals with some pretty nice fish. 7 -8 lbr's 

[BassinLou]

Thats one thing im jelous about... Couple canals here but they arent very long.

 

Check out this pig last year from a canal a block away from my house...

 

[MCS]

It always sucks when you pull a nice one out and you have no way to get a good pic, or no scale. I had one I am sure over 7 just like that a pic of the stretch Armstrong. Did you get a weight on that Lou?

[BassinLou]

It always sucks when you pull a nice one out and you have no way to get a good pic, or no scale. I had one I am sure over 7 just like that a pic of the stretch Armstrong. Did you get a weight on that Lou?

 

Mike, that's the fish I beat you with for Big fish honors for one of the month's. I beat you out by a few ounces. Remember? That one went 7lbs 3 oz if i am not mistaken. The pic I think says the weight. 

[MCS]

Oh it's that one...you had to bring up that beat me...ouch! Lol

[Pz3]

No doubt. Finally landed a job that will allow me to be a little more stable paycheck to paycheck. Im going to start picking up canos, refurbishing them, and reselling them for a little extra $$$ so I can afford a nice boat and upgrade my tackle selection. Also started really analyzing what might be going on with my mistake fishing week. Keep hearing this over and over... shallow shallow shallow, spawning season, heavy heavy cover..... realised most places I fish don't really have "cover".... just structure. Went to my favorite location and tossed into the only cover there. Sure enough nailed a 3-4lb fish. Will have to explore new locations with better cover and just keep at it. These fish aren't roaming into my canals. I'll try this new spot tomorrow with a ton of cover and see how it goes!

 

Nice piggy by the way.

[BassinLou]

No doubt. Finally landed a job that will allow me to be a little more stable paycheck to paycheck. Im going to start picking up canos, refurbishing them, and reselling them for a little extra $$$ so I can afford a nice boat and upgrade my tackle selection. Also started really analyzing what might be going on with my mistake fishing week. Keep hearing this over and over... shallow shallow shallow, spawning season, heavy heavy cover..... realised most places I fish don't really have "cover".... just structure. Went to my favorite location and tossed into the only cover there. Sure enough nailed a 3-4lb fish. Will have to explore new locations with better cover and just keep at it. These fish aren't roaming into my canals. I'll try this new spot tomorrow with a ton of cover and see how it goes!

 

Nice piggy by the way.

 

Congrats!! What part of FL are you from Pz3?