Why can't I catch bass

[RippinLips57]

Hey everybody I just bought a boat and I've been out a couple times and accumulated a couple baitcasters and a good bit of tackle and every time we go out we never get anything except a couple Lil specs but people around us are catchin bass but we can't I don't know what we're doin we go out from early mornin to late afternoon and troll up shorelines and skip around docks but nothing. I've been throwin chatterbaits, jigs, crankbaits, Frogs etc but I haven't really tried soft plastics yet I picked up some Keitch 4.5 inch swimbaits in electric shad and a pack of senkos and I'll try that this weekend but I don't know what I'm doing wrong though I switch up my retrieves and everything and I think I'm fishing them right lol bang Cranks up against wood, drag frogs through lily pads, yo yo or drag jigs across bottom. But I don't understand why we can't catch bass I know that there in the river were fishing at because we see people around us catching them. The waters a tea color and the river were fishin in is called fowl river if anybody is familiar with our neck of the woods in lower AL. if anybody has any suggestions of what I'm doing wrong please tell me, Thanks. 

[scaleface]

Sounds like youre fishing cover . Learn the Texas rig. Throw it in the cover and work it out . You will eventually get the hang of it , "if" you stick with it . The Texas rig will make you a better angler with all other lures .

[visagelaid]

We killed them on C-Rigs with smokin blue zoon finesse worms, and with shakeyhead with a green pumpkin black flake zoom trick worm with the tails dipped in JJ's chartreuse and sprayed with Bang!...this was last weekend, we didnt throw anything else, but Ive also been crushing them on a lipless crank and chatterbait.  Good luck!

[RippinLips57]

55 minutes ago, visagelaid said:

We killed them on C-Rigs with smokin blue zoon finesse worms, and with shakeyhead with a green pumpkin black flake zoom trick worm with the tails dipped in JJ's chartreuse and sprayed with Bang!...this was last weekend, we didnt throw anything else, but Ive also been crushing them on a lipless crank and chatterbait.  Good luck!

Not to familiar with the Carolina rig man but I hear people using it all the time I'll have to give it a try. I've only thrown a chatterbait a couple times but haven't had any luck with it, how were you workin it and where would you concentrate on throwin it

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

Sounds like youre fishing cover . Learn the Texas rig. Throw it in the cover and work it out . You will eventually get the hang of it , "if" you stick with it . The Texas rig will make you a better angler with all other lures .

Yeah im fishing a little bit of cover but not a ton but ill definently have to rig up a Texas rig this weekend thanks for the advice man

[visagelaid]

The chatterbait has been just a cast and retrieve, Ive been trying different depths.  The c-rig we were using on Logan Martin this last weekend.  You are down south, so the fish should be spawning right now I would imagine.  All the normal spring time baits and spawn tactics that you can read about here on this website should be in play.  My neighborhood has a lake thats about 31 acres, I have located bottom structure and rocky bottoms.  That where I concentrate when im fishing from the bank.  But this website contains tons of good articles about what to use and what to target in the different seasons of the year.

[scaleface]

3 minutes ago, RippinLips57 said:

 

Yeah im fishing a little bit of cover but not a ton but ill definently have to rig up a Texas rig this weekend thanks for the advice man

If you are doing a lot of casting and reeling randomly then those are mostly wasted time.  Make every cast count for something .,  anything .

[Scarborough817]

it's not what you are fishing but where, spot is much more important than lure choice

[RippinLips57]

7 minutes ago, scaleface said:

If you are doing a lot of casting and reeling randomly then those are mostly wasted time.  Make every cast count for something .,  anything .

 I cast a pretty good bit but I'm not just aimlessly casting and burnin it back but I do need to pay a little more attention to where I'm castin sometimes 

3 minutes ago, Scarborough817 said:

it's not what you are fishing but where, spot is much more important than lure choice

I agree.  There's canals, grass lines, some little grass mats, overhanging trees, underwater wood, docks, rocks, and a little marina in our river. What would you focus on most?

[TOXIC]

The Senko will end your slump.  Texas rig a 5 inch senko on a 4.0 EWG Gamakatsu hook and throw it around the cover.  Fish it S_L_O_W.  

[RippinLips57]

4 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

The Senko will end your slump.  Texas rig a 5 inch senko on a 4.0 EWG Gamakatsu hook and throw it around the cover.  Fish it S_L_O_W.  

That's what I was gonna try this weekend, yesterday I bought a pack of 5 inch yum worms in watermelon red with purple flake and a pack of 5/0 small wobble heads to rig em up on idk if 5/0 is to big but we will see lol Thanks for the advice man

[Scarborough817]

24 minutes ago, RippinLips57 said:

I agree.  There's canals, grass lines, some little grass mats, overhanging trees, underwater wood, docks, rocks, and a little marina in our river. What would you focus on most?

this is going to be vague but fish the seasons and where the bait fish are. i would start with wood and rocks right now they will be the quickest to warm up so fish are likely more drawn to them, in the summer i would go more towards the pads, mats and docks

[RippinLips57]

53 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

37 minutes ago, Scarborough817 said:

this is going to be vague but fish the seasons and where the bait fish are. i would start with wood and rocks right now they will be the quickest to warm up so fish are likely more drawn to them, in the summer i would go more towards the pads, mats and docks

Aright I'll start targeting wood and rocks more I've been trollin up banks and throwin jerk baits lipless cranks and jigs parallel to the bank and working them back but that's where you think that they will be is rocks and wood?

[Scarborough817]

Just now, RippinLips57 said:

 

just my thinking but i don't know what exactly what stage they are at in your area do you see beds? are there fish on them?

[RippinLips57]

12 minutes ago, Scarborough817 said:

just my thinking but i don't know what exactly what stage they are at in your area do you see beds? are there fish on them?

I really don't know what stage they are in but my buddy said he has a bed by his dock but there was no fish on them now, and I haven't seen any beds I've looked but haven't seen any, it's around 80-85 degrees here in lower Alabama but I don't know how warm the water is but it's probably around 70 but not for sure

[WRB]

Talk to the successful anglers you see catching bass, most anglers like to be helpful. Next slow down, you have a boat and can fish anywhere, that can be problem because bass in a river locate at specific areas that offer current breaks. Are you targeting Smallmouth or largemouth bass?

Tom

[RippinLips57]

5 minutes ago, WRB said:

Talk to the successful anglers you see catching bass, most anglers like to be helpful. Next slow down, you have a boat and can fish anywhere, that can be problem because bass in a river locate at specific areas that offer current breaks. Are you targeting Smallmouth or largemouth bass?

Tom

Largemouth. I don't think we have smallmouth

[WRB]

Looked up the Fowl River, it's 14 miles and brackish water, don't know how far up the salt water extends? I would think you would have some tidal affects similar to delta fishing.

LMB prefer slow or current areas and if there is a tide the water level changes flooding bank areas the receding. Cover is key along with current breaks. Look for cover areas where the current is slack or something is breaking it. I believe you are using the right tackle and lures. I would add a T-rigged or 3/8 oz swing jig craw worm in black blue like a Biffle bug, ideal for where you are fishing.

Tom

[fishingram24]

You may want to move a bit farther north and get up into the Delta area above I-10. Not my personal favorite but I have fished the Delta quite a few times and there is a lot of water to fish. Coastal rivers are much different than big lakes and reservoirs with tides having a major impact on the fish. Never heard of Fowl River being a prime bass location, Dog River not much better. One more thing, Snagless Sally in the Brusier color(black, blue, purple) or chartreuse/white will catch you some fish.

[CTBassin860]

Sounds like maybe wrong colors for stained waters and you're bank fishing from a boat.Invest in some sonar my friend and make your life a little easier.

[OCdockskipper]

WRB has better specifics than I could offer you.

 

However, on a general note, don't get discouraged with the lack of success.  Instead, realize that you have just identified baits, areas, techniques or combinations thereof that don't work.  If you eliminate enough, you eventually will stumble onto something that does.

 

Take advantage of this knowledge of what hasn't worked and make changes in areas or techniques until you find answer.  If crankbaits near docks don't produce, remember that problem could be bait, the location or the technique.  Don't change all 3 at once necessarily, change one at a time.  Eliminate variables.

 

Also, as odd as it sounds, make sure that you are expecting to get bit, so that then when it doesn't happen, you have the urge to change something up.  Without that, you may just continue to do what isn't working over & over and be complacent with the lack of results.

 

 

[david in va]

Just could be like my Dads first cousin always told me, you aint holding your mouth right. You will get it keep trying.

[RoLo]

 

You've mentioned over a half-dozen lures you fished, more than I generally fish on a given day.

I might be off-base, but it sounds like a "locational" issue to me, followed closely by lure delivery.

To be sure, there is no lure and no color that can substitute for the correct Location and Delivery.

 

Roger

 

 

[lonnie g]

don't know about the river chain you are fishing , but the cussa river chain great for KY spots . use bullet nose or shaky head with finess  worm. green pumpkin red works well. fish rocky points. work worm real slow. sometimes all you feel is slight tic. jerk shes there. there is some kind of green colored eel they feed on.  best of luck to you.

[papajoe222]

My suggestion is to put your rods in your car, go out and scan a section of the water with your electronics looking for structure and baitfish. If there is cover there also, so much for the better.  Go back to your car, get your rods and fish those spots with an appropriate presentation.  If you still don't catch anything and others are.......................take up golf.

[Angry John]

If there is a lot of water to cover and it's sainted or muddy try a black blue 4" swim bait on an owner weighted hook swim jig or chatterbait.  These are good for covering a lot of water until you locate the fish.  If the fish are up shallow a 4-6 inch lizard will get bit this time of year.  Green pumpkin or other dark colors would be first choice.  If you can get out fish an incoming front.  While the pressures drop the bass seem to tie on the feed bag.