Spawning Largemouth

[gmoney13]

Can't wait until bed fishing starts back up in New Jersey. Just wondering if anyone had any really good bed baits or tips/tricks.

[WRB]

Fish outside and target pre spawners.

Tom

[Catt]

Bed fishing aint about baits, it's about patience!

[jr231]

C-rigged zoom lizard. 

[J Francho]

A Carolina Rig, for beds?  Please, do tell.  Be specific.

Here's a thoughtful article with an overlooked technique:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

[fishballer06]

Tie a 1/4oz dropshot weight to the nose of a Gantarel and swim it in and drop it in on the bed...

[rangerjockey]

I don't think the bait matters as much as being able to tell the fish that are aggressive enough to bite.. I fished a FLW event with a guy who spent 2 hours on a bedded fish that just wouldn't bite, and never did. Don't blame him, it was a dandy.

I like some kind on lizard or creature bait. White is my favorite color because it's easier for me to see and contrast against the bed. I don't think color matters to the fish its just mad something is on its bed.

 With that said, I'm not a huge fan of pulling fish off the beds and running them 20 miles to a weigh in..just me.

 

[jr231]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

A Carolina Rig, for beds?  Please, do tell.  Be specific.

Here's a thoughtful article with an overlooked technique:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

Ok mr francho. A Carolina rig is a very simple technique that works well ANY time bass are relating to the bottom.  Sinker /bead/swivel and a leader.. I like to use a 3/4oz with a 2-3 foot leader.  and the lizard just makes a perfect intruder on the bedding bass. 

If you haven't tried it you're missing out. Very simple and effective.. 

[Choporoz]

That's a lot of lead for, what will almost always be, very shallow bass

[jr231]

15 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

That's a lot of lead for, what will almost always be, very shallow bass

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.berkley-fishing.com/Berkley-ae-carolina-rigs-for-pre-spawn-spawning-bass.html&ved=0ahUKEwjHh5TBn-_QAhXD2yYKHTN8DYcQFghDMAo&usg=AFQjCNGSLVblLXVNNqSmlYHfZg2powxtqg&sig2=loteDFjS02S_EJlrnXU1rA

Take it up with the staff at Berkley. Ha-ha who says I'm using lead?. 3/4 is a bit heavy.. but it works great and this is the article that lead me to doing this. 

Just Google it. It's a technique used by many... not just Berkley. Or you could post your own way of fishing beds ? 

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, Yeajray231 said:

Ok mr francho. A Carolina rig is a very simple technique that works well ANY time bass are relating to the bottom.  Sinker /bead/swivel and a leader.. I like to use a 3/4oz with a 2-3 foot leader.  and the lizard just makes a perfect intruder on the bedding bass. 

If you haven't tried it you're missing out. Very simple and effective.. 

I know what Carolina rig is.  Just wondering what makes it more effective than an easier to accurately cast Texas rig.  What issue are you overcoming by using this rig?  Typically, I see a c-rig as a semi deep to deep search rig, not really a sight fishing rig.  It's definitely not an easy rig to pitch cast.  I definitely disagree with this statement: "The rig works well because it keeps the bait on or near the bottom better than any method out there and it covers lots of ground." A Texas rig or jig is better at keeping the bait down, and why do you need to cover lots of ground?  The beds is often less than two feet in diameter, and you should be able to see it.  I'm not saying it doesn't work, but I'm dubious as to it being a better method.  Anyways, I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a fork than fish a Carolina rig.  It's boring, slow, fussy to tie up, and I always feel disconnected from the bait.

As far as weight goes, I do agree with you.  Sometimes I use an ounce or more fishing drop baits in beds on a Texas rig.  In fact, in the article I linked, my friend Burnie was using a pegged one ounce tungsten weight and Sweet Beaver.

[WRB]

I do not intensionally target bedding bass, there was a time I did. I found it's more productive to target pre spawners or post spawners not on beds, but outside in deeper water staged.

Male bass protecting the bed site are very aggressive and will try to remove anything that gets near or in the bed. If eggs have been laid the protection area is smaller. Bigger females don't stay around the bed very long usually hours, not days and may lay eggs at several bed sites. When the pair are laying and fertizing eggs they are not interested in protecting the nest site, only before and after.

Choice of bed lure is anything you can see well or anything the bass considers egg eaters; crawdads, small fish, salamanders. Treble hook lures should be avoided around a bass bed, no reason to snag the bass that's not trying to eat the lure, it's just removing it.

Tom

[J Francho]

Those big, cruising females will taunt you......

[jr231]

Yea @J Francho I just was sharing what has worked for me.. I didn't have an elder or a tutor.. just learned from reading and experimenting.. it works ! But I never claimed it to be the best bed bait.  I just named something I had success on in the past.. 

I'll try the drop shot come this spring. and I think I'm going to try a Mattlures gill as well

[J Francho]

Oh, I am sure it works - never doubted that part.

If your Hard Gill is a floater, you can add a big Duo-Loc snap to the line tie, and that will pull the gill down, nose first, very slowly.  Ask me how I know how effective this is....

The drop shot is a fun one - again, a little fussy to cast like the C-rig, and not my first choice, but when all else fails, like the article said...

[soflabasser]

15 hours ago, gmoney13 said:

Can't wait until bed fishing starts back up in New Jersey. Just wondering if anyone had any really good bed baits or tips/tricks.

I don't fish for nesting bass anymore, but there was a time I did and mostly used jigs with crawfish trailers.Bass hate crawfish near nest.

[Ktho]

White and Pink for targeting bedded bass. Texas rig strike king rage bug is my favorite. If you don't want to or cant see bed fish, square bills, jerkbaits and swimbaits are good to work over bedding areas or just fish points, channels leading up to spawning areas and get the prespawn and postspawn fish.

[WRB]

Keep in mind the bass aren't eating your lure, they are removing it. I have tossed rock pebbles into a bass nest and watched the bass pick it up and move it. All that matters is your ability to set the hook quickly. White jigs (tubes) are excellent. This isn't difficult it's more like shooting fish in a barrel.

Tom

[J Francho]

Just now, WRB said:

Keep in mind the bass aren't eating your lure, they are removing it. I have tossed rock pebbles into a bass nest and watched the bass pick it up,and move it.

That's the behavior I exploit in the technique I describe in my article linked above.

[gmoney13]

8 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

I don't think the bait matters as much as being able to tell the fish that are aggressive enough to bite.. I fished a FLW event with a guy who spent 2 hours on a bedded fish that just wouldn't bite, and never did. Don't blame him, it was a dandy.

I like some kind on lizard or creature bait. White is my favorite color because it's easier for me to see and contrast against the bed. I don't think color matters to the fish its just mad something is on its bed.

 With that said, I'm not a huge fan of pulling fish off the beds and running them 20 miles to a weigh in..just me.

 

@rangerjockey I'm just on land fishing for them on beds to catch the fish, take a picture if it is big and put it back on the bed to spawn.

[Catt]

As stated almost any lure or technique can catch bedding bass.

FYI:

Crawfish do not eat fish eggs, aint on their diet!

The females do stay on the nest for days!

Reference any number of B.A.S.S. or FLW tournaments!

January 17, 2001 the first day of the Florida Bassmaster Top 150 tournament on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes. I couldn't believe what I saw," Rojas said. "I saw 10 pounders, 9 pounders, 8 pounders everywhere I looked." In Rozas livewell, 10 lb 13 oz, 10-0, 9-0, 8-2 and 7-3 for a total of 45 pounds, 2 ounces.

[J Francho]

I watched Rojas do his thing on SML in VA.  That guy has an eye for deep beds.

[jr231]

I see serious veterans saying conflicting statements about how long females stay on their beds ...

Some say only a few hours... you're saying days ! Does the female stay there by herself? 

@Catt do you care to elaborate a little more on this ? 

[J Francho]

I've seen two on a bed all day, and not spawning.  It's usually the male that bites first, with more aggression.  Other times, I only see a male.  I watched one male by our old dock keep three females at court.  He was probably only 13" long, but man he had three big females hanging around all weekend.  Cracked me up.

[Mike L]

A female will drop and run, another will drop and hang out. Totally depends on conditions and thier state of mind I guess, nobody knows for sure. 

I will target bedding bass if the situation allows...And yes in a tournament situation I will stay on it for an hour if need be. I've seen them drop and not move, others will leave, some will go and hide nearby and yet others will stay close but in the open. Reminds me of a mother dropping her kids off at a play ground but hanging around to keep an eye on them.

I've use many different colors and style of baits but my go to down here is a white bb cricket.   

 

Mike