Super User Catt Posted March 10, 2016 Super User Posted March 10, 2016 On March 8, 2016 at 3:44 PM, WRB said: PS, Texas state record bass was caught on a crappie jig. Biggest Texas Bass—Barry St. Clair, 18.18 pounds: Barry St. Clair of Athens etched his name in bass fishing history when he reeled in the current state record largemouth from Lake Fork. Not only is his the first (and only) Texas bass to crack 18 pounds, it is the heaviest ever reported to be caught by a crappie fisherman. Fishing with a live shiner in about 40-feet of brushy water near the dam, St. Clair caught the fish in Jan. 1992. On March 9, 2016 at 5:11 AM, frogflogger said: TIME ON THE WATER - Make that time on the water paying attention to details - If the time is spent where big bass live! Quote
Scarborough817 Posted March 10, 2016 Posted March 10, 2016 23 minutes ago, Catt said: If the time is spent where big bass live! ok looks like i have a lot of water to search then Quote
Super User WRB Posted March 22, 2016 Super User Posted March 22, 2016 Revisiting this thread after the BM Claasic to point out the importance of being at the right place at the right time with the right lure. Randy Howell fished the exact same spots in the Elk river where the tournament was won by Edwin Evers on the last of the event with a 29 lb bag. Randy knew big bass were in the area, it's a well known spot and he could see the bass. Edwin knew the area needed wind to activate the bite and defuse the clear water, so he avoided the area until the wind picked up. The bass were feeding on smaller size crawdads and Edwin used a finesse jig to replicate the prey these bass were targeting. Catching big bass by using big lures and hoping to run across a bass that is willing to strike can work occasionally. Targeting big bass by using lures that represent what the bass are feeding on and understanding why those big bass are at that locating ups your odds tremendously. Timing is all about being at the right place at the right time with the right lure. Edwin Evers knew the difference, Randy didn't! Tom 2 Quote
Super User Nitrofreak Posted March 22, 2016 Super User Posted March 22, 2016 On March 7, 2016 at 11:20 PM, WRB said: If you are a serious about catching big bass you need to study their habits. A good book on this subject is In Pursuit of Giant Bass by Bill Murphy. Tom It's a great book but even with that book it's still no easy road, it's a lot of work, in the future though I can see it being worth all the effort. Quote
Super User WRB Posted March 22, 2016 Super User Posted March 22, 2016 4 hours ago, Nitrofreak said: It's a great book but even with that book it's still no easy road, it's a lot of work, in the future though I can see it being worth all the effort. 4 hours ago, Nitrofreak said: It's a great book but even with that book it's still no easy road, it's a lot of work, in the future though I can see it being worth all the effort. The reason I like to suggest Bill Murphy's book is we are on the same page regarding bass behavior and saves me a lot of time. Big bass populations in the same lakes vary greatly decade to decade due to lots of factors. Every lake will have peake periods when populations are higher and low periods when populations are recovering. If you can choose a lake during it's peake periods, your odds are good catching big bass, not good during low periods. Common sense, but few take the time to consider this. Trophy bass anglers spend a lot of time determining what lake to target, most anglers fish any close lake and hope to catch a big bass. Lots of time learning where to fish for big bass with some fishless days, it takes dedication. Tom 1 Quote
Super User Nitrofreak Posted March 22, 2016 Super User Posted March 22, 2016 2 minutes ago, WRB said: The reason I like to suggest Bill Murphy's book is we are on the same page regarding bass behavior and saves me a lot of time. Big bass populations in the same lakes vary greatly decade to decade due to lots of factors. Every lake will have peake periods when populations are higher and low periods when populations are recovering. If you can choose a lake during it's peake periods, your odds are good catching big bass, not good during low periods. Common sense, but few take the time to consider this. Trophy bass anglers spend a lot of time determining what lake to target, most anglers fish any close lake and hope to catch a big bass. Lots of time learning where to fish for big bass with some fish less days, it takes dedication. Tom Some fish less days??? LOL !!! I have dedicated the last several of seasons to get a lot more intimate with my home lake by rendering what this man had to say, along with what a lot of you here had to say as well, for someone like me who can not spend every day at the lake or even every weekend at the lake it's down right frustrating to be honest, it's however a necessary evil and I accept that fact because it's what I have made my mind up to do, this year I believe will be better, finally, I hope. In his book he spoke of lakes being bait specific, some being better suited for cranking, some for plastics and so on, the question I have is what is it about each that makes them more suited to one bait or another ? Bill spoke of clearity of structure, I'm assuming he meant cleaner? Less silt on rocks etc...? In the past couple of years and the reason I am asking, I have worked really hard on various baits, lots of which are not unproductive but, not giving the results I had hoped for for the amount of effort put in, it's not that I have low confidence in the baits either, I have used the same baits in other lakes with the same techniques and they by far out performed my home lake, this on the other hand is actually exciting in a sense to know I can pack for any lake and have a lot of confidence in each, it's exciting to me to know that this effort is starting to show results. This will be my fourth season since dedicating myself to understanding what it is going to take and so far both of my trips to my home lake have been focused solely on structure, im finding the main river channels, I'm finding where the fish leave these channels and head for the mouths of major creeks that they use to spawn, im finding I have a lot more patience than I ever thought I had before that's for sure !! LOL!! What is it, after realizing the amount of work that this is taking and still the long road ahead, that makes an angler want to leave the visible atributes of the shallows and head for open water? I hope to yield some results this season with a definitive answer to that question. 2 Quote
Super User WRB Posted March 22, 2016 Super User Posted March 22, 2016 Clarity of structure means well defined structural features. We have mostly sand stone and shale rock ledges with a few granite boulders. A ledge a foot high is less defined than a ledge of 10' high, a rounded hump is less defined than a sharp ledge...clarity of structure. Tom 2 Quote
Super User Nitrofreak Posted March 22, 2016 Super User Posted March 22, 2016 Thank you sir !!!! Quote
Super User Catt Posted March 22, 2016 Super User Posted March 22, 2016 Nitrofreak Location: what structure in your body of water holds big bass. All bass relate to structure but not all structure holds bass. Prey species: what is the predominant prey species in you body of water. How does that species relate to structure morning, noon, & night...with each passing season. Timing: just because ya didn't get bit doesn't mean the fish are not there or you had the wrong lure tied on. 1 Quote
Fisher Guy Posted March 24, 2016 Posted March 24, 2016 i in MA and fish a small lake in cape cod. Largest was only 3 lbs and that was using a silver rubber worm. The bass bite these rubber worms well. I use a few different sizes and catch a lot more so than green, or purple worms. Feells like they like my worm but yet to pull in a real pig. I know they are in there. any help on how to catch? Quote
Fisher Guy Posted March 24, 2016 Posted March 24, 2016 also using a st st croix rod and stella reel Quote
"hamma" Posted March 24, 2016 Posted March 24, 2016 try skipping the laydowns on whequaqet, of the deeper weedbeds on mashpee=wakeby Quote
Fisher Guy Posted March 25, 2016 Posted March 25, 2016 not sure i understand what you are saying keith? Quote
"hamma" Posted March 26, 2016 Posted March 26, 2016 you stated you fish a small lake on the cape, the cape has some of the best bass ponds in mass, .whequaqet and mashpee wakeby are bigger lakes on the cape and hold some awesome sized bass, on whequaqet there are some incredible laydowned trees positioned just right.,.. skip the plastics up under there. and there are deeper weedbeds out on mashpee- wakeby that on any given day can bring in the winning bag in any tourney. and trust me these lakes receive some real heavy tournament pressure, but still produce. I choose these lakes as i dont know what pond you are fishing, i do fish many small ponds down there out of my tiny basshuner rig,.. but understand that some are clear as gin,.. and others as muddy as can be, others get a huge algae bloom, and i fish them completely different,... if you know they are there on "your pond" then, stealth and determination is all you'll need., like everyone offering info on this thread has stated, right lure, right time, right place, presented "right" is key. Is your silver worm key? i dont know, if you have confidence in it ,. it very well may be. your pond may be herring fed,..Out on the cape if i fishing a semi stained to clear small pond im throwing green pumpkin plastics and silver hardbaits does that clear it up for ya? 1 Quote
Fisher Guy Posted April 9, 2016 Posted April 9, 2016 hamma thats really helpful. the lake is pretty clear year round so ill try some green pumpkin also. rubber worms seem to be the best, tried a few casts off shore today and saw a decent pickerel following but couldn't get the bites today. think its still too cold. will pull the jon boat out next weekend and super excited. hopefully i hit em. wonder when bass spawn on the cape? Quote
nameiztaken Posted April 10, 2016 Posted April 10, 2016 On 3/7/2016 at 6:03 AM, Scarborough817 said: start using bigger baits you aren't going to catch 5 pounders regularly with a senko I do in a pond down the street, usually later in the year. Probably sounds bogus, but I always see people hauling 4 to 6 lbers on the regular during fall on senkos. Quote
"hamma" Posted April 10, 2016 Posted April 10, 2016 other good lures for clear cape ponds include, a silver/black backed jerkbait, or a herring or alewive patterned slugo on a slider jighead,. a green pumpkin jig and pig, white double willow spinnerbait with chrome blades,. and white bellied topwaters. and a crippled herring spoon good luck Quote
JG233 Posted April 10, 2016 Posted April 10, 2016 On 3/8/2016 at 3:17 PM, Keith "Hamma" Hatch said: big bass in new england are not few and far between as most anglers think. Mass record is like 15+ lbs. Big bass inhabit most waters up here and can be caught. The trick is fooling them, they are old and very wary.most pigs have been caught before. Once they suspect that you are present, your all done. The slightest noise, your shadow cast over them, an errent cast, a weed on your trolling motors prop, or more likely line caught behind the prop., even the ping from your lcr's transducer, dropping pliers on the floor of the boat , or a slammed hatch.... Anything you do to alert them you are there,... shuts them down and they drop to deeper water, or should I say to "safety".You need to go into stealth mode, on the right day, with the right lure, at the right location. and proper presentation, then and i say a big "MAYBE" you can intice one to strike a lure ,... heres what i would do,... catch some crayfish from that pond, mimic its color and size in a jig and pig, find the ponds deepest water and fish the closest structure with that jig and pig, but make sure you doose the hell outa it with real craw, sun to your back, lcr's off, and i cant stress ultimate quiet enough,... have a backup lure that mimics the ponds most previlent baitfish, albeit bluegill, herring, shiners or perch. Sometimes when a fish wastes energy going after food that they dont get they will be antsy and eager enough to hit the next thing that comes along,...looking to replenish the energy lost ,...So if you get a hit on the j&p and miss him, toss the follow up lure that same jig and pig will be to suspicious for a truely big bass these are some of the things i do and they have worked well for me, its taken me 40 years of bass angling to figure what i have out, and im still questioning myself. but,... if you doubt i my methods,.....my personal best was caught in ma, as well as at least a dozen or 2,... 8's thru 10's ,....yeah,.... all in massachusetts I want to go fishing with Keith! Quote
Airman4754 Posted April 10, 2016 Posted April 10, 2016 Tom and some other have given great advice. I don't target giants I suppose but I don't want to catch anything under 3lbs either. My best piece of advice is to watch what the "weekend warriors" are doing and don't do that. An example is my last trip out on a fairly small lake there are trout fisherman trolling flashers around everywhere within 75 yards of the bank and every bass fisherman were chucking spinnerbaits. Guys on the bank were throwing spinnerbaits. I love spinnerbaits but every fisherman on the lake has something flashy and clunky on their line. The big fish have seen that all day everyday. I didn't see a single bass caught by anyone else in those two and a half days but I caught over 50 fish on a drop shot, jig rig, and swim jig along with six fish over three pounds. Bass are an apex predator but they're not completely stupid. If everyone else is doing something your odds of catching number or size with it as well are small. 2 Quote
"hamma" Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 thanks jg233,... when i get my boat back (its getting a newer motor) i need to install some new gear then test it out. After that id be ready to fish and i have no problem meeting new anglers to fish with. 1 Quote
Fisher Guy Posted April 16, 2016 Posted April 16, 2016 d**n that is awesome advice that I'm going to follow. I really appreciate it! you da man keith! hoping to go out this weekend but might be cold i especially like the idea of supreme quiet and the throw one lure change to the next. gonna see how that works for me. I caught a lot of fish in the lake last year but the biggest bass was only 2.6 lbs and a three lb chain pickerel there are big one there though I'm sure. stealth here i come Quote
Fisher Guy Posted September 12, 2016 Posted September 12, 2016 how big was your pickerel. I catch chain pickerel a lot. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.