Aussie angler looking for some bass fishing during my travels.

[Shane Dyason]

G'day everyone,

I am a keen angler living all the way over the pond here in Australia, I am heading over to the US
for my first ever trip in November.
I have been following the bass scene for a lot of years now, and have always wanted to get over to
the US to do some bass fishing myself instead of reading my monthly Bassmaster magazine, or watching
tournaments and videos on the internet. Finally, in a couple of weeks, hopefully I'll get my chance.

I will be road tripping over 10 days from Louisiana, over to Dallas, then through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama
and down into Florida. I will bring a basic kit with me including a baitcast outfit, some spinnerbaits, frogs and soft plastics etc.
I will be limited in what I could bring rod wise, so I will probably just purchase one when I get there.
Obviously I will be land based, so I will be fishing lakes or ponds along the way on my travels.
If any of you can help in any way, or suggest some good locations to fish along the way, it would be greatly appreciated.
I've heard there are plenty of good ponds over there with awesome bass in them , but I obviously wouldn't have a clue
where to start, so any help would be great. 

Hopefully I get to catch up with a few of you during my travels.

Cheers
Shane

[Bluebasser86]

Make sure to buy a license in each state you visit.

 

I suspect if you come up with exact dates and general areas you plan to be, you'll probably find at least a few members willing to show you around and help put you on fish in their area. 

 

You'll be getting very close to the cold weather months in some states you listed, which might produce some difficult fishing and you'll almost certainly encounter some less than ideal weather.

 

If your travels bring you through Kansas, I promise I can put you on some fish

 

[Shane Dyason]

G'day Bluebasser86,

I will be travelling through those states from the 10th November through to the 20th November
when I plan on being in Florida.
Where I stop and fish and for how long will depend on what opportunities and advice comes 
my way.
If I had more time, I would definitely head further north and come and fish with you, but time is
just not going to allow it I don't think. Thank you very much for the offer, hopefully a few other
guy's a bit further south will offer some help.
I am certainly more than happy to pay my way for food, fuel etc if someone was going to offer to
take me out on their boat, as getting multiple guides along the way is just going to blow my budget.

Thanks for your reply mate, and if by chance plans change and I can head further north, I'll send
you a message.

Cheers
 

[MichaelCopeland]

Howdy Shane and welcome aboard! ? What part of Louisiana will you be visiting? I live in Pineville near Alexandria. If you happen to be this way give me a shout. I don't have a boat but I'll do what I can to point you in the right direction for some decent fishing. Also while you're here, if in this area, I work for Bill Lewis Outdoors Rat-L-Trap and maybe you could at least come get a shop tour to see how they are made and all. My birthday is November 13th and I will be off work that day, maybe we can figure a way to go fishing that day. I don't have a driver's license or a car right now but possibly we could make it work. Let me know.

 

Cheers mate!

[ohboyitsrobby]

If you happen to come through the west side of Arkansas namely the hot springs area I'm sure I could help a fellow member out. I do have a boat and plenty of good fishing on lake ouachita and the surrounding lakes and rivers. My boss is a pretty cool fella too so if it happened to be a weekday I could probably swing that too. As for the lack of combos and tackle no worries I have plenty. Maybe we can post some latest catch pics lol

[12poundbass]

Waypoints for a Wallaby. Worth a shot, I've always wanted a Wallaby! ?

[Tara-senko]

22 hours ago, ohboyitsrobby said:

If you happen to come through the west side of Arkansas namely the hot springs area I'm sure I could help a fellow member out. I do have a boat and plenty of good fishing on lake ouachita and the surrounding lakes and rivers. My boss is a pretty cool fella too so if it happened to be a weekday I could probably swing that too. As for the lack of combos and tackle no worries I have plenty. Maybe we can post some latest catch pics lol

What a guy!  Ohboyitsrobby #2024

On 10/22/2017 at 3:33 AM, Shane Dyason said:

G'day everyone,

I am a keen angler living all the way over the pond here in Australia, I am heading over to the US
for my first ever trip in November.
I have been following the bass scene for a lot of years now, and have always wanted to get over to
the US to do some bass fishing myself instead of reading my monthly Bassmaster magazine, or watching
tournaments and videos on the internet. Finally, in a couple of weeks, hopefully I'll get my chance.

I will be road tripping over 10 days from Louisiana, over to Dallas, then through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama
and down into Florida. I will bring a basic kit with me including a baitcast outfit, some spinnerbaits, frogs and soft plastics etc.
I will be limited in what I could bring rod wise, so I will probably just purchase one when I get there.
Obviously I will be land based, so I will be fishing lakes or ponds along the way on my travels.
If any of you can help in any way, or suggest some good locations to fish along the way, it would be greatly appreciated.
I've heard there are plenty of good ponds over there with awesome bass in them , but I obviously wouldn't have a clue
where to start, so any help would be great. 

Hopefully I get to catch up with a few of you during my travels.

Cheers
Shane

Your definitely going to be able to find some good places in at least one those states, if not all. Find the old locals in town

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard, Shane! Hope you have great luck

during your visit. Nothing like nice catches to make 

it worth it! Then again, just being out fishing is usually

worth it  .

[Shane Dyason]

Hi MichaelCopeland, thanks for your reply mate.

I will be heading from New Orleans to Dallas on my first stint on the road, so I will be coming up through
Alexandria on my way through.
If there is a bit of land based fishing available locally, that would be great.
Also, a tour of the Bill Lewis Outdoors shop would be very cool if you could organize it.
All of these sorts of things can help make this trip a real memorable one for me, so I appreciate the offer.
I will most likely be in Alexandria on the 10th Nov around midday.
Cheers

Hi Tara-senko,

I know there's plenty of good fishing throughout the states that I'm traveling, I just need a bit of help from some kind bass anglers to share a few spots with me. Secret ponds especially...

Thanks for your reply mate, I just hope I can put a few decent days on the water together and get some nice pics.
This trip has been a lot of years in the waiting, I'm really looking forward to meeting some great people, catching a few bass, and knocking back a few beers as well.

Cheers 

Hi Darren.

Thanks very much mate, I hope there's tight lines for you as well...  

[Shane Dyason]

Hi ohboyitsrobby,

I will be travelling up through Oklahaoma then into Arkasas on my way towards Little Rock, so it definately looks like I'll be in you your area.
It would be awesome it you could find the time to take me out for a fish, here's hoping we can get onto a few decent fish and get some good pics, thaTt would be a blast.
I will be in the area about the 14th Nov, let me know if that will suit you.

Cheers mate. 

[bagofdonuts]

You should be hitting the fall bite about right in those areas. You'll probably be going right by toledo bend, a stop there and day with a guide would be worth it. 

[ohboyitsrobby]

6 hours ago, Shane Dyason said:

Hi ohboyitsrobby,

I will be travelling up through Oklahaoma then into Arkasas on my way towards Little Rock, so it definately looks like I'll be in you your area.
It would be awesome it you could find the time to take me out for a fish, here's hoping we can get onto a few decent fish and get some good pics, thaTt would be a blast.
I will be in the area about the 14th Nov, let me know if that will suit you.

Cheers mate. 

Yeah man. I can pretty much do any day barring some dramatic weather. We should be able to get on some good fish. The trap and topwater bite will hopefully be on good then it's starting to pick up. Stay in touch and I'll give you my phone number and such so we can nail down some details. We don't have Texas sized bass on ouachita really but we may be able to pick up a couple 3-4-5 pounders.

[Shane Dyason]

Hey guy's,

I'm going to bring a couple of baitcast reels with me and buy a rod while I'm over there.
What pound braid is going to be a good average I can use anywhere?
Will 20lb be fine, or do I need to go heavier?

Cheers

[CroakHunter]

6 minutes ago, Shane Dyason said:

Hey guy's,

I'm going to bring a couple of baitcast reels with me and buy a rod while I'm over there.
What pound braid is going to be a good average I can use anywhere?
Will 20lb be fine, or do I need to go heavier?
Cheers

personally, id go heavier. I prefer at minimum 30lb on my baitcasters. 30lb for medium power, 50lb for medium heavy, and 65lb for heavy

[Shane Dyason]

Thanks for the reply mate.
What about leader size?  Sorry, I forgot to mention that in my other post.

[CroakHunter]

33 minutes ago, Shane Dyason said:

Thanks for the reply mate.
What about leader size?  Sorry, I forgot to mention that in my other post.

I use p-line cxx as a leader. For my 30lb braid I tie a 10lb leader, for 50lb braid I tie a 17lb leader. I don't use a leader For any baits that I use with 65lb. 

[Shane Dyason]

Thanks for your help Hunter.

Cheers

 

[CroakHunter]

No problem. Be sure to post pics of your catches. We would love to see them. 

[Shane Dyason]

If I manage to get onto some fish, you can bet I'll be posting a few pics for you guys.
Fingers crossed that it all comes together for me...

 

[N Florida Mike]

Shane, I live on a small lake in Jacksonville fl. with Good bass fishing. Let me know if youre passing through here and maybe we can go.

Safe travels to you.

Mike

 

[NCbassraider]

23 hours ago, Shane Dyason said:

Thanks for the reply mate.
What about leader size?  Sorry, I forgot to mention that in my other post.

You don't need a leader, it's just more knots that can fail.  I fish straight braid with more success than ever.

[JaxBasser]

When you get to Florida you can literally just cast into any small retention pond and have a good shot at bass. They are everywhere here lol

[Shane Dyason]

NCbassraider, 
Over here in Australia, we fish a leader 99% of the time, in fact I can't remember if I have ever fished braid straight through.
I have heard a few of the pro's over there mention occasionally they were fishing their braid straight through to the lure, it's just a bit hard to imagine doing it when you're not used to it.

G'day JaxBasser,
I've been told that there are bass in heaps of the ponds, and that's all good if you know where to find these waterways.
If you could direct me onto a few in Florida I would be really gratefull.
It's just hard going to a new country, I simply haven't got a clue where to start.
If you would like to message me and we can chat further, that would be awesome mate. 

[Shane Dyason]

N Florida Mike,
I will be heading down past or even through Jacksonville, I might just take you up on your offer if your going to be around. I really appreciate you guy's offering help to get on the water and advice where you can, it's very cool...

[NCbassraider]

16 hours ago, Shane Dyason said:

NCbassraider, 
Over here in Australia, we fish a leader 99% of the time, in fact I can't remember if I have ever fished braid straight through.
I have heard a few of the pro's over there mention occasionally they were fishing their braid straight through to the lure, it's just a bit hard to imagine doing it when you're not used to it.

G'day JaxBasser,
I've been told that there are bass in heaps of the ponds, and that's all good if you know where to find these waterways.
If you could direct me onto a few in Florida I would be really gratefull.
It's just hard going to a new country, I simply haven't got a clue where to start.
If you would like to message me and we can chat further, that would be awesome mate. 

Leaders are just old school and industry driven.  A lot of pros that use leaders will admit when they re-tie during an event they don't bother with the leader. 

 

There is an abrasion argument there but the visibility issue is a joke.  Bass don't look for the line and evaluate presentation.  If so they would identify treble hooks and every other abnormality associated with lures.  They simply react.   Not to mention, they can clearly see mono and flouro underwater.

 

Try fishing straight braid, you will love it.  I miss less strikes because I can always see the line and I never loose a fish because of a knot or line break.