Stubborn Bass

[buttonreel]

What is the best way to get the fish biting on slow days? This has been a problem for me in the past and im hoping there is something I can do so I dont go home with no catches.

[Arv]

If a bass doesn't want to bite, it won't bite. If its a slow day though I will use a drop shot, shakey head or a weightless senko.

 

Also you need to make sure you are where the fish are. You may be working your lures perfectly but it doesn't matter if there aren't any fish in the area.

[buttonreel]

If a bass doesn't want to bite, it won't bite. If its a slow day though I will use a drop shot, shakey head or a weightless senko.

 

Also you need to make sure you are where the fish are. You may be working your lures perfectly but it doesn't matter if there aren't any fish in the area.

What worm for the shakey head

[Arv]

I probably use zoom trick worms the most, but I'll use zoom finesse worms, roboworms, gambler giggysticks, senkos... you name it. I haven't thrown many creature baits on a shakey head but its something I plan on doing more this year.

[mjseverson24]

cover water with Spinnerbaits/swimjigs/crankbaits/football jigs/c-rig... when a spot is holding fish switch to a dropshot/finesse jig/shakeyhead/flick shake/kitchen sink... too many variable with a question like this... area of the country, time of year, weather patterns, cloud cover, types of cover available in the lake, bottom composition, and structure... in my mind you really have only two options... 1) speed up, cover a ton of water with reaction baits to find active fish... 2) slow way down on areas that are definitely holding fish, and finesse the crap out of them...  

 

Mitch

[Christian M]

cover water with Spinnerbaits/swimjigs/crankbaits/football jigs/c-rig... when a spot is holding fish switch to a dropshot/finesse jig/shakeyhead/flick shake/kitchen sink... too many variable with a question like this... area of the country, time of year, weather patterns, cloud cover, types of cover available in the lake, bottom composition, and structure... in my mind you really have only two options... 1) speed up, cover a ton of water with reaction baits to find active fish... 2) slow way down on areas that are definitely holding fish, and finesse the crap out of them...  

 

Mitch

X2...LOL...kitchen sink...please provide as much detail as you can, you'll get some great answers

[WRB]

By stubborn you must mean the bass are not striking lures you are using? You know the bass are where you are trying to catch them because you can see them?

There is common myth about bass that you can tease them into striking, like a cat and mouse game. This myth may be a result of spawner's guarding a nest site that can be teased into striking an intruder near their nest.

Bass are not catchable 24-7, they rest in between feeding cycles, the rest time is generally called inactive bass, the feeding periods are active bass. When you present a lure that is something the bass wants to eat, it will strike when it's active, not when it's inactive. Look for active bass. With sonar the active bass are usually very close to the structure, the inactive bass suspended away from structure. Bass in cover are positioned at strike zones when active, deeper in the cover and suspended when inactive.

Present your lures in high percentage strike zones in cover, near our on structure. Watch for birds feeding on bait, active bass feed on baitfish.

Your best bet is to leave inactive bass and return when they become active, or wait them out by camping on a good spot with bass in the area.

Tom

[frantzracing0]

For me on a really slow day, ill start throwing shakey heads around docks. I can always seem to catch a few that way

[merc1997]

active bass are much easier to catch than inactive bass.  this is where depth and speed control will help you catch more bass.  bass, even when in a neutral state can be made to reflexively strike at a lure that is being fished at the correct depth and speed.

 

a very good read is buck perry's spoon plugging book.  pay close attention to the section of depth and speed.  of course buck trolled a lot using his spoon plugs, but that concept can be carried over to casting. 

 

it has really been amazing at how little of adjustment in speed was the difference in loading the boat and catching nothing.  case in point.  one night i was catching bass using a plastic worm and a 1/2 oz. sinker.  my buddy was using the same thing, but was using a 7/16 sinker.  he could not figure out why he was not getting any bites.  after i made him switch to a 1/2 sinker, he immediately began getting bites.  that small difference in speed made difference in getting bass to reflexively strike and not.

 

keep in mind that wobble and vibration can be a perception of speed also.  keep changing until you come up with the right combination.

 

bo

[merc1997]

i should add to what i have stated that bass can pretty much go to sleep at times, and when bass are in the sleeping mode, dynamite is about the only thing that will work.

 

bo

[eyedabassman]

Bo, is dead on with this post!!!!!!

[WRB]

Buck Perry would be trolling A-rigs behind his Spoonplugs today!

Rate of fall is important to trigger strikes if the bass are willing to react.

Good to see are back Bo!

Tom

[ClackerBuzz]

by ur location looks like you have to add heavily pressured water to the problem mix.

i'd say 3 things:

slow and low bottom baits.

small plastics.

light line.

after you start catching them on a 3" split shot worm or 1/16 oz 3" tube on 4-6lb test then you know they are there.  start experimenting from there for bigger fish.

[ApacheGuns515]

Say screw it, take a hunk of whatever you brought for lunch, put in on the hook, cast it out and catch a catfish. 

 

Rinse and repeat until the bass start biting. Thats what I always do. 

[merc1997]

Buck Perry would be trolling A-rigs behind his Spoonplugs today!

Rate of fall is important to trigger strikes if the bass are willing to react.

Good to see are back Bo!

Tom

 

Buck Perry would be trolling A-rigs behind his Spoonplugs today!

Rate of fall is important to trigger strikes if the bass are willing to react.

Good to see are back Bo!

Tom

tom

 

i really have not left, but have too busy selling jigs that i have not had the time to keep up with the blogs.  guess busy is good though.

 

adding to your post, fall rate is also speed.  we have horizontal speed, and we have drop speed.  even when dragging a jig over rocks, the rate your are dragging, and when a jig falls off of a taller rock, the rate of decent equates to speed, and triggers strikes.  of course, you and i both know that there are just periods of time that bass "go to sleep", and when this happens, you just can not get them to bite.

 

i have had the blessing of watching bass in a giant aquarium, and have presented lures to them at different stages of activity.  when active, it was quite easy to get them to bite most anything, and speed was not critical.  when in neutral, they could still me made to strike some, when the right depth and speed was accomplished.  but, when in that sleeping mode, not even live bait interested them.

 

bo

[Lund Explorer]

tom

 

i really have not left, but have too busy selling jigs that i have not had the time to keep up with the blogs.  guess busy is good though.

 

adding to your post, fall rate is also speed.  we have horizontal speed, and we have drop speed.  even when dragging a jig over rocks, the rate your are dragging, and when a jig falls off of a taller rock, the rate of decent equates to speed, and triggers strikes.  of course, you and i both know that there are just periods of time that bass "go to sleep", and when this happens, you just can not get them to bite.

 

i have had the blessing of watching bass in a giant aquarium, and have presented lures to them at different stages of activity.  when active, it was quite easy to get them to bite most anything, and speed was not critical.  when in neutral, they could still me made to strike some, when the right depth and speed was accomplished.  but, when in that sleeping mode, not even live bait interested them.

 

bo

 

It can't be explained any better than that!

[WRB]

Activity levels can be fully explained if you are open to the concept that bass are not always catchable.
There are several levels of activity; very active where bass are aggressive and chase prey, active where bass are alert and hunting for prey, neutral where bass are alert, not hunting or willing to chase prey, inactive where bass are resting or sleeping.
Percentages vary with water temps and seasonal periods, generally; 5% very active, 10 % active, 50% neutral and 30% inactive, 5% transitions, each 24 hour period.

Not all the bass in a lake are on the same schedule, bass act both individually and in groups throughout the lake system.
Tom

[CDMeyer]

On a day with a stubborn bite I always just go to my strong points, a crank bait for me..... and if even that does not work, then I will go with a loud bait, or the bait that is know in that type of weather/conditions