Last 8 Trips....no Bass. I Need Help

[Dammitjim]

Hey all

 

   My woman and i have fished live bait until this summer when i picked up a cheap blaze shallow crankbait at a gas station on the way to the lake. She caught nothing but small bluegill that day and i landed 5 bass with 2 getting away off the blaze crank. That was mid may and until the end of may, bass fishing was consistant and good. From then to today i have been bass fishing in the same lake, and have had not even a strike at my hard baits. I have tried EVERYTHING except plastic worms. Crankbait (several types, sizes and depths), booyah buzz baits (black and chartruse), hula poppers, poppers, chatter bait, spinners and jitterbugs....nothing. I even bought a baitcaster combo. It is the entry level shakesphere alpha red. I am getting good at casting it but i backlash at least 6 times a night lol. I did catch a 5 lb drum fish out of tygart creek in KY off of a crack bait a few weeks back.

 

I have no clue what i am doing wrong. I have even tried varying my retrieves and letting the floaters soak. In my main spot a beaver moved in and changed the entire bottom of the lake in that area. Still i see fisherman catching bass there. I have been in every corner of that dang lake with no luck. I have also spent many hours on goggle researching this....nothing is helping. I fish at turkey creek lake in shawnee state park in southern ohio.

 

Any help/tips would be greatly appeciated. Thanks

[scaleface]

You mentioned a beaver. I never pass up a beaver house without hitting it with a texas rigged plastic worm. Texas rig it . Bury the hook and go slow with a light weight .

[MikeOGNR]

Fish a wacky rig senko. That bait I call the do nothing bait. You literally cast it out a good ways let it sink to the bottom and just watch your line for any movement slight twitches or ticks. If nothing hits it on the fall, reel up some slack then slowly raise your rod tip up. If nothing hits it cast out repeat the process. Another bait I love is a texas rigged 7in power worm made by Berkeley power bait. These are my go to mostly. Another good bait is a jig with a rage craw trailer great for big bass. What I would do is spend the most time out on the water as you could don't give up after only a few hours really dig in and learn that piece of water. Between those 3 baits you should get on some good fish.

[MikeOGNR]

Also if you're looking for spots to get on bass. Don't always beat the banks what I do is I start about where the shallow water tapers off to deep water around 8-10ft then I work my way in. This will give you a lot more coverage of the water and might even get you on some big bass that sit out deeper.

[the reel ess]

You've probably got to slow down. If it's a big lake, like a hydro power lake, they've moved to offshore structure. It can be hard to find them without electronics and a topo map.

 

Assuming it's a small lake and you know they can't have moved far, this is the time of year for soft plastics. Use a Carolina rig with a big worm-at least 8". Cast to deeper structure. I have a place close to here that we use Rat-L-Traps in summer. Just reeling them fast enough to stay off the bottom in the deeper areas of the reservoir. Look for places where the depth contour is not uniform. Creek bend, points, sharp drop-offs. If you catch a bass in one place throw out a buoy. If you catch several and then they stop, try a different lure. If there's a flat with lilies, try a frog, worm or other weedless bait there.

 

Another summer tip: fish very early and late in the day. They'll bite the topwaters better then. Around here, I can catch more and better fish in the first and last hour of daylight than I can the entire remainder of the day even if it's not scorching hot.

[Fishing Rhino]

Hey all

 

   My woman and i have fished live bait until this summer when i picked up a cheap blaze shallow crankbait at a gas station on the way to the lake. She caught nothing but small bluegill that day and i landed 5 bass with 2 getting away off the blaze crank. That was mid may and until the end of may, bass fishing was consistant and good. From then to today i have been bass fishing in the same lake, and have had not even a strike at my hard baits. I have tried EVERYTHING except plastic worms. Crankbait (several types, sizes and depths), booyah buzz baits (black and chartruse), hula poppers, poppers, chatter bait, spinners and jitterbugs....nothing. I even bought a baitcaster combo. It is the entry level shakesphere alpha red. I am getting good at casting it but i backlash at least 6 times a night lol. I did catch a 5 lb drum fish out of tygart creek in KY off of a crack bait a few weeks back.

 

I have no clue what i am doing wrong. I have even tried varying my retrieves and letting the floaters soak. In my main spot a beaver moved in and changed the entire bottom of the lake in that area. Still i see fisherman catching bass there. I have been in every corner of that dang lake with no luck. I have also spent many hours on goggle researching this....nothing is helping. I fish at turkey creek lake in shawnee state park in southern ohio.

 

Any help/tips would be greatly appeciated. Thanks

 

The solution might be in your original post.  Not just worms, but various creature baits as well.  Wacky worm, shaky head, Keitech or Lunker City swimbaits.  Keitech swing impact fat, and lunker city grubsters and ribsters.  Zoom Fat Alberts or Rage Tail Grub, Menace, and Structure Bug are all fish producing baits.

 

I rig any of them on a Keitech, 1/8th ounce tungsten jig head with a 2/0 or 3/0 hook.

 

Like so.

 

 

Use a drop of super glue to secure the nose of the bait to the jig head.  The hook in the image is a Jackall wacky jig head, but I prefer the Keitech tungsten jig heads for rigging the above baits.  Took this picture before trying the Keitech products.  Either will catch fish, but I have come to prefer the Keitech, except for wacky wormin'.

 

Let any of the above baits sink to the bottom, and retrieve them sloooowwwwlly.  Do not use the reel to retrieve the bait.  Retrieve it by lifting the rod, then reel to take up the slack.  An occasional twitch or shake give it a different look to the fish.

 

You'll want a jig head designed for shaky head fishing.  If you can use lead, Spot Removers are a good choice.  If you don't want to, or cannot use lead, the Vike tungsten shaky jig head is an excellent option.  Keitech also makes a shaky head hook.  I prefer 3/16th ounce for shaky head fishing.  You might go heavier or lighter.  The only way to know is to try the various options. 

[Master Bait'r]

Dude, stop looking for hardbaits to do it for you.  

 

 

Go buy some plastics.  At least one kind of worm, a soft jerkbait like a Slug-go and at least one creature bait like a Pit Boss/Structure bug.  Look up how to Texas Rig them.  Try that and report back.  Honestly, that is by far the most productive way for the basic fisherman to explore and learn.  Also inexpensive and don't get hung up as much.     

[bigbill]

I fish from shore. A topo map will tell you how to fish that area. Or a hummingbird cast out portable fish finder will tell you the depths, bottom structure and where the fish are.

I fish in the evenings as dusk approaches or in the early am in the dark till around 9am. The bass turn on during these times but being stealthy is the key(very quiet). Try topwater, shallow cranks, inline spinners, spinnerbaits, split shot 6" plastic worms, c rig brushogs, c rig senkos.

A shot of scent is a plus too. Change baits and colors till one works.

Don't rush the presentation go slow so it looks like a easy meal.

[Dammitjim]

I will try worms. When is it a good time of year to switch back to hard baits?

[Dammitjim]

I fish from shore. A topo map will tell you how to fish that area. Or a hummingbird cast out portable fish finder will tell you the depths, bottom structure and where the fish are.

I fish in the evenings as dusk approaches or in the early am in the dark till around 9am. The bass turn on during these times but being stealthy is the key(very quiet). Try topwater, shallow cranks, inline spinners, spinnerbaits, split shot 6" plastic worms, c rig brushogs, c rig senkos.

A shot of scent is a plus too. Change baits and colors till one works.

Don't rush the presentation go slow so it looks like a easy meal.

 

 

I have lost 2 hula poppers so far because for some reason the line snaps at the end of my cast. Most of the time it snaps at the reel and i am able to get my bait back. I am not sure why this is happening. Anyway i have been using top water baits starting at dusk. I use hula poppers, jitter bugs and booyah buzz baits at night. They are not yielding anything for me. However last night using a buzz bait i watched a bass chase it all the way to shore darting around like mad....but he never hit it.

[the reel ess]

I have lost 2 hula poppers so far because for some reason the line snaps at the end of my cast. Most of the time it snaps at the reel and i am able to get my bait back. I am not sure why this is happening. Anyway i have been using top water baits starting at dusk. I use hula poppers, jitter bugs and booyah buzz baits at night. They are not yielding anything for me. However last night using a buzz bait i watched a bass chase it all the way to shore darting around like mad....but he never hit it.

What kind of reel are you using? Line? A quality reel with quality line should fix that issue.

 

If they'll chase a buzzbait, but won't bite, try a spinnerbait. They're sometimes shy about the surface lures but will bite the SB below the surface. You can also bend the arm down on the buzzbait so that the body rides lower at a slower speed. That will occasionally get a bite. Or you can use a smaller one like a Pond Magic. You can also replace the skirt with a grub or fluke to show them something different.

[MikeOGNR]

Here's some proof to my jig theory I was explaining. I caught this decent sized one tonight along with a couple others. As for hardbaits I like them during windy periods or during the spring and fall when the fish are a little more active, they are also good for covering water to find the active fish then once you find the active fish it's time to switch over to a soft plastic for a more subtle presentation to see if you can pick up those finicky bass. Anyways here's a pic of my 3.5 bass I caught tonight on a jig with rage craw trailer.

[F14A-B]

Texas rig plastic worm 7", deeper water/structure than what may fishing was doing for ya..depending, you can try deep crankbaits if you want. One rig with a deep crank & one rig with a trig worm..

[Mswen]

At this time of year the bass are getting a bit more shy (evidenced by that follower).  They're moving to deeper water to get away from the heat, follow baitfish, and, if applicable, to escape fishing pressure and recreational boats.  Some general suggestions would be to slow down and make sure you are covering as much of the water as possible.  Have you heard of "fan casting"- you look at the water in front of you and divide it into sections, like an oriental fan, then you make sure you hit each section.  Don't just cast straight out in front of you.  If you're fishing from shore (or a boat, for that matter), long casts parallel (or as close as possible) to the bank can be very productive.  Slowing down your presentation typically helps.  Even if you're fishing crankbaits, simply cranking as slow as i to keeps necessary them at the proper depth, or just fast enough to keep a spinnerbait or chatterbait off the bottom can help you to get more strikes.  Changing to a jig or plastic worm can make an even bigger difference.

 

 

Some specifics would help.  Are you fishing from a boat, or from shore?  What is the water like?  I'm also in the Midwest, and we've had a ton of rain recently.  The three lakes that I fish most often all look like chocolate milk.  Water clarity can make a major difference.  What size lake are we talking about?

[markinny]

senko wacky rig. my go to bait when all fails. fish slow. good luck.

[68camaro]

A lot of good ideas here. I was were you are. Casting to center of lake/pond not too productive but I really started doing better casting parallel to shore and weed lines. Caught most in shallower water.

Out farther in deeper water cranks and jerk baits can be productive, but parallel to weeds lines and shore more productive per my experience.

[Lendiesel22]

Slow down, jig,shakey head,senko,texas rigged worm or bug of some sort. Feel the bottom for transitions in composition. On the bank keep trying your reaction baits, off the bank feel the bottom and work slow. 

[jignjake]

Plastics are a MUST for anytime of year and especially whenever the bite gets slow. It presents a less aggressive prey for the fish and therefore may elicit a bite when other presentations won't. I personally love using a reaction innovations sweet beaver when the bite is tough. I fish it weightless and slowly twitch it back towards me. For that matter any weightless soft plastics are a great option for tough bites. Keep grinding man, we all go through tough stretches in fishing. Don't get too frustrated and take as much away from the tough bite as you can, I know I've learned more from grinding out a tough bite.

[markinny]

wacky rigged senko worm. my go to bait. works great.

[WPCfishing]

Sounds like your new to bass fishing. I would suggest joining the Bass Academy. Good reading and videos. You tube will get you a boost too. Check out the NED rig, lipless cranks, spinnerbaits, various jigs and top water baits. 

 

Read up on and pay attention to water color, temperature, structure, cover and depths.