Starting My Quest For A Big Bass!

[WRB]

The reason I mentioned a wake bait or very slow sinking swimbait is relavent, bluegills are present everywhere.

This thread has had some good advice from good trophy hunters.

Tom

[Mattlures]

Dang! The real mattlures! Thanks for pointing this for others to see. I thought it was almost a fact that they work best in clear water, but now that I think about it they do displace a lot more water than a 7" worm, which i catch quite a few fish on. I guess that was my take on the situation, but like i said I only threw swim baits for about 1 month. 

 

What are your thoughts on snags, though? I was throwing a mattlures U2 bluegill and huddleston rof12, and I was working them slowly along the bottom. I got stuck so much. It was super nerve wracking, I just got too nervous throwing them. Any tips? I guess it would also be relevant to the OP if he fishes a snaggy lake.

I agree with your assessment on snags. I would recommend a weed less Hudd or other weed less bait. You can also get creative and rig your baits to be more wed less. Also you might be surprised at how well a good lure retriever works.

[ClackerBuzz]

Go with light tackle and catch the bait fish you see schooling up to see what it is

x2. 10 min's with a small crappie lure and you'll know what kind of baitfish are there

[Catch and Grease]

Maybe it is a mute point with the way this thread is going, but since you started by talking about big worm... I throw 11 inch ribbon tail and 3, or even 2 lbers will eat it. I don't think they think those worms are that big, but at least I don't get too many dinks.

It isn't a mute point and I'm still gonna come out and say some lures catch bigger fish on average than others, this thread hasn't changed my mind.

For the guys telling me to fish deep, remember that I have no deep water here.

I would like to get into swim baits eventually but don't have the money right now to be buying expensive lure, And with all the toothy critters in some areas of the lake they would get tore to shreds I would think....

Thanks guys

[Loop_Dad]

Other random idea is use bigger hollow belly swim bait. I use Berkley Power Bait Hollow Belly 6" and throw with MH rods, but this might be out of production. I need to look for something else once my stash is gone. Maybe Yum Money minnow? I see them on ebay cheap. There are some bargains like 2 packs of three 6.5" bait for $9, that's like $1.50 each. Something to think about..Anyway good luck of your hunt!

[deep]

It isn't a mute point and I'm still gonna come out and say some lures catch bigger fish on average than others, this thread hasn't changed my mind.

For the guys telling me to fish deep, remember that I have no deep water here.

I would like to get into swim baits eventually but don't have the money right now to be buying expensive lure, And with all the toothy critters in some areas of the lake they would get tore to shreds I would think....

Thanks guys

 

It's all relative man. Your fish in Banks Lake don't know that SoCal reservoirs are hundreds of feet deep.

 

There are factors like stained water, heavy shoreline cover, low fishing pressure, demersal (sp?) baitfish that can keep the bass relatively close to the shoreline, and the opposites of these would drive them out from the shoreline except during spawning. If you believe that the fish you want to catch are on/near the shore (I'm not saying this in a condescending tone, I'm making a statement- I don't know your lake), then have a go at it. If whatever you're trying isn't working, try finding new hunting grounds. It's pretty simple really, but we can all get stuck in a rut (location, baits, techniques) and actually be comfortable in that rut.

[Catch and Grease]

It's all relative man. Your fish in Banks Lake don't know that SoCal reservoirs are hundreds of feet deep.

 

Obviously, but don't tell me to look for deep structure when there isn't any in my lake.

[Catch and Grease]

It's all relative man. Your fish in Banks Lake don't know that SoCal reservoirs are hundreds of feet deep.

 

There are factors like stained water, heavy shoreline cover, low fishing pressure, demersal (sp?) baitfish that can keep the bass relatively close to the shoreline, and the opposites of these would drive them out from the shoreline except during spawning. If you believe that the fish you want to catch are on/near the shore (I'm not saying this in a condescending tone, I'm making a statement- I don't know your lake), then have a go at it. If whatever you're trying isn't working, try finding new hunting grounds. It's pretty simple really, but we can all get stuck in a rut (location, baits, techniques) and actually be comfortable in that rut.

 

Off-shore fishing on this lake is still 6ft-8ft. Again I have no deep water, you can be dead center of the lake and still be in 8ft water.

[deep]

Let me try one more time. What's the max depth in Banks Lake? 6 ft? Think of 0-2 ft as shallow depths, 2-4 ft as medium depths, 4-6 ft as deep water.

[Catch and Grease]

Let me try one more time. What's the max depth in Banks Lake? 6 ft? Think of 0-2 ft as shallow depths, 2-4 ft as medium depths, 4-6 ft as deep water.

 

It's really not relative, 6ft just flat out Isn't deep water no matter how you look at it.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

It's really not relative, 6ft just flat out Isn't deep water no matter how you look at it.

 

 

Listen, you're going to get a lesson here....

 

Figuratively speaking, there is a reason you have two ears and only one mouth. You ought to be listening twice as much as you talk (or type). You're asking for advice. You're getting advice from people that have caught more big fish than you've dreamt about while sleeping (no, not counting myself in that group).

 

It IS relative.

 

You're stuck under 5lbs in a state that held the world record, a state where I'm good friends with more than a couple people who've caught fish well into the teens. Trust me, you're doing something wrong. Why don't you sit back, check your ego and listen / apply the information that's being presented to you. Try it. If it's something that seems totally against the grain of what you've been doing, that may be a good thing considering where you're stuck.

[Catch and Grease]

I am doing something wrong, you got that right.

 

I was just trying to say I already fish the deepest parts of the lake that hold fish, I cant go any deeper without digging a hole.

 

 

 

But thanks SPEEDBEAD I needed someone to knock me down a peg or two lol

[Catch and Grease]

I have a question, Is there even a noticeable thermocline in shallow water like 8ft?

[deep]

Let's just assume that you got the location part down, and talk about other parts of the puzzle.

 

What else do I have? Baits, presentations, atmospheric conditions and moon phases (don't roll your eyes, this is my post, so I'll have my say).

 

Without going into swimbaits, you can try jigs and straight tail worms on the bottom, and swimjigs, scroungers and paddletails for swimming. Jig head shapes and weights depends on your specific requirements. Trailers, once again your preferences. Just use something proven. I have my own preferred skirt materials and colors and I'm not going to post them here (sorry), but that shouldn't matter because they'll depend on the lake. In any case, I'm no authority on jigs, or on any baits for that matter. Tom might be willing to help you on this.

 

Note that I mentioned straight tail worms, and not U/ curly/ swimming tail. My thoughts on the worm shape, size and color have been heavily influenced by Bill Murphy's writings. But try Roboworms for a start. They make several sizes upto 7". If that's too small, you can buy some from Josh Upton (he has a website).

 

Sometimes the fish donot want a bait fished slowly on the bottom. That's the presentation part of the equation. One day in late Spring (this was a year back), I slow-rolled hudds on the bottom all day, and caught nothing. Not even a follow. Then I had an inspiration and started swimming an Osprey near the bottom, and started catching. Maybe they wanted something fast, something close to but not on the bottom, maybe a different bait, or maybe they just turned on; I don't know. But a particular presentation isn't working, it's time to change. (It's easy to get comfortable in the rut.)

 

I like low visibility conditions. Note that even a lot of wind to break up the surface in the middle of a clear day can translate to low visibility,

 

After that, I have my moon phases. Several will call BS on this, but my experiences (I track the adult bass I catch) show that I have caught 60% of the fish on one particular phase, and 30% on another. The data do NOT include bed fish, and they're not just pre-spawners either. I might as well stay home/ at work the other two weeks of the month (but I fish anyway trying to figure them out). Unfortunately, my findings do not agree with Murphy's; but that's all right. Maybe he fished deeper and slower. Whatever. As long as I'm on them, I'm good.

 

In conclusion, I firmly believe that bigger bass are more vulnerable to certain baits and presentation, during certain atmospheric conditions, and during certain moon phases. Now of course, another angler with more talent can clean them up when I can't even get a follow. And that's where I strive to be.

[Catch and Grease]

Trust me I don't have the location part down... I don't have any part of bass fishing "down"

[Jtrout]

I read online there are some deeper holes that are 15 feet deep have u found them?

[Catch and Grease]

When the lake is at full pool there are spots around the boat Ramp and out a little ways from the ramp that hit 15ft

The water is low right now and it is 12ft in the deepest parts, I have caught fish off these spots but they were always near the top in grass or something, I usually catch them around there in the winter it seems like...

If there are any other deep holes then I don't know about them.

[Catch and Grease]

http://www.gameandfishmag.com/fishing/fishing_bass-fishing_ga_0509_01/

Here is a good article on banks lake and describes the lake well. Click the link and scroll down until you see the section on banks lake

[SPEEDBEAD.]

http://www.gameandfishmag.com/fishing/fishing_bass-fishing_ga_0509_01/

Here is a good article on banks lake and describes the lake well. Click the link and scroll down until you see the section on banks lake

 

Are you fishing from a boat or the bank?

[Catch and Grease]

From a boat.