How Do You Get Those Reluctant Female Bedding Bass To Bite?

[NDH Fishing]

Catching the male bass is easy, but we all want the real prize. That big fat female bass, but shes always to scared to attack. Whats the right technique to get those fish to bite? 

[Raul]

How much can you wait ?

[NDH Fishing]

I was worried that would be the answer. I guess I was fishing the spawn right after all.

[Dalton Tam]

Most of the lakes in my area are too murky to sight fish for bedding bass but this year I focused on fishing a local lake that has the clearest water near me and I learned alot about sight fishing. The biggest one I caught off a bed was 6.4 but she was the biggest one I saw that was "locked on". I saw some giants that just weren't locked onto the beds yet and they seemed impossible to catch. Anyway, I can tell you that, most of the time, if you catch the male first (right in front of the female), you probably won't get that female to bite. I practiced many techniques to induce a strike. usually starting by flipping a craw into the bed. If they were finicky and wouldn't take the bait right off, I would start switching it up. Sometimes I could illicit a strike by dying the pincers chartreuse. I would then try another bait such as a lizard or some creature bait that had as many "tentacle" (arms legs) as possible. I think the many moving parts of the bait "ticked" them off and made them strike. Another technique I found to work "wonders" was my drop shot rig because I could keep it in front of their face for a while until they got mad and hit it. My 6.4, however came off of a jig. I flipped my craw up to her several times and the male finally ate it and never let it go, so I set the hook once he swam about 30-40 foot from the bed. I caught him but I didn't release him to run back to the bed. I think if I would have released him, he may have released a pheromone that would have "spooked" her. However I fished another, say, 20 minutes to get her to bite, trying different things until i picked up a jig. When I flipped the jig in, It literally landed right on her head and she inhaled it. Which leads me to the last discovery I made about catching them off the bed. Towards the end of the spawn, they began to be really "hard headed". I guess fishing pressure gave them lock jaw. So I discovered that, if they were locked on, and you threw over the top of them and literally tried hitting them in the side of head with the bait, they would get mad and inhale the bait. That's the only way I could get a strike out of the hard headed fish. It was an awesome spring fishing and caught alot of 4-5 lbers. Just never found that 1 monster that was locked on! Maybe next year.....  One more thing, most them aren't going to hit on the first cast. It took me on average 10-15 minutes per fish most of the time to get a strike (especially the bigger fish, sometimes 30-40 lol!). So patience is the key factor for bed fishing. I think it depends on the fishing pressure they receive on the body of water you are fishing. Just be patient and try what I told you. I believe you'll be successful if you use these tips. Here are a couple fish that I caught one morning this past spring, including that 6.4. I really thought she was gonna weigh more, but.... i guess scales don't lie smh.....

 

[F14A-B]

Yea bedders typically bed in the same areas each year, if the waters to dirty, saturate fish... I caught this way before.... But seeing these bedders is fun...patience as well as a few different baits.... Don't be afraid to put it right on her head either....

[geo g]

Her mind is not on food, so you must aggravate her. You may have to go through the nest 20 times before she can't take it any more, and she attacks with a vengeance. I really don't like doing this. I'd rather let her do her business and bring forth the next generation of fish.

[NDH Fishing]

Her mind is not on food, so you must aggravate her. You may have to go through the nest 20 times before she can't take it any more, and she attacks with a vengeance. I really don't like doing this. I'd rather let her do her business and bring forth the next generation of fish.

I never though of it that way. It is a good idea to let the bass go about its business, and make more bass for the future. 

[kikstand454]

I try my best not to fish bedding bass unless I'm in a tournement.

They have enough problems.

It is fun though. I find patience and a trick worm usually pays off. And knowing which fish are going to bite and which ones aren't. That's the real key I think.

[F14A-B]

By the way, nice fish ! Good pic!!

[gulfcaptain]

I never though of it that way. It is a good idea to let the bass go about its business, and make more bass for the future. 

I have found that around where I live the fish get blasted by the "spawn fisherman".....these guys can't catch anything the rest of the year, pound them with a jerk bait and fish the same fish day after day...the same fish...and say "yeah I caught 2 yesterday and a couple today". They were the same fish.  I tend to stay away from the spawners, if I see one I may pitch a bait at them and if they respond and I get a reaction I may fish them, but quickly put them back ASAP to do their business and stay away from them after that.  Found there are plenty of fish that are still in prespawn waiting to move up while some are spawning as well as later both pre and post spawn fish available as well as a few still spawning.  Focusing on the other two have greatly increased my catch at this time of year as well as size as most don't target those two groups of fish.