Crankbaits and a tough season

[Slade Carroll]

Ok so I’ve had a tough season this year winter was hard getting skunked every day until I caught one fish at freedom park in Charlotte on a cold dry windy day on a rebel big craw crankbait stream craw color on a fast retrieve with my zebco 404 that was my pb bass 5 and 1/2 pounds but that was it no more fish after that I’ve been to many lakes and I always get skunked while I see other people catching things some days no one is catching anything my favorite lake has light cover in the water around the edges but to cast into that seems like a snag disaster the rest of it is mostly silt with lots of algae and under water grass how do I fish this what should I use next question is I have a square bill crankbait it sinks I don’t think there is water in it but is it supposed to sink none of my other cranks sink it’s a rebel wee r by the way ok guys that’s it if you can help me reply above.

[burrows]

You don’t have to use crankbaits throw a soft plastic you’ll catch no doubt.

[Sam]

Drop shot with a finesse worm in Junebug.

 

Will keep bait off the bottom and out of the slop and above the grass and the bass will have an easier time seeing it.

 

Now, what is the water temperature? Have the smaller males started to move up to make their beds? What stage are the dogwood trees' blooms? Senkos. Have you thrown any unweighted wacky Senkos? Rat-L-Trap lipless baits. Have you thrown any lipless crankbaits?

 

Should I go on?????

 

Check out the water temperature and the Charlotte area dogwood trees ass they may be in bloom meaning the bass are on their nests and will not hit your baits.

 

Let us know about all of the above so we can help you and consider adding Charlotte to your avatar so we will know where you are located.

 

Thanks.

[Slade Carroll]

4 hours ago, Sam said:

Drop shot with a finesse worm in Junebug.

 

Will keep bait off the bottom and out of the slop and above the grass and the bass will have an easier time seeing it.

 

Now, what is the water temperature? Have the smaller males started to move up to make their beds? What stage are the dogwood trees' blooms? Senkos. Have you thrown any unweighted wacky Senkos? Rat-L-Trap lipless baits. Have you thrown any lipless crankbaits?

 

Should I go on?????

 

Check out the water temperature and the Charlotte area dogwood trees ass they may be in bloom meaning the bass are on their nests and will not hit your baits.

 

Let us know about all of the above so we can help you and consider adding Charlotte to your avatar so we will know where you are located.

 

Thanks.

Ok so the dogwood trees are not flowers yet but there are these white and pink trees that started to bloom near my house no I have not tried a wacky rigged senko yet I have tried a lipless and have done that ripping thru the grass thing but hadn’t had any luck yes the bass move to make beds in the shallow water but only when it’s warm for like 3 weeks then they go back when it gets cold again but when it was warm and I could see them I threw a Ned rigged white grub on a 1/8 ounce jig head and they just looked at they saw it and would move there heads but did not want to bite it even when it was right in front of them it says the water temp is 67 in lake Norman but I don’t fish there so what am I doing wrong?-Slade

[Sam]

Slade, please note my input below:

 

Ok so the dogwood trees are not flowers yet but there are these white and pink trees that started to bloom near my house - CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES. THEY FOOL US EVERY YEAR. GIVE THE DOGWOODS A FEW MORE WEEKS TO BLOSSOM.

 

 no I have not tried a wacky rigged senko - WHY NOT? GOOD BAIT. TRY COLORS 194 OR 297 PLUS 174. OR THE COLOR OF YOUR CHOICE.

 

yet I have tried a lipless and have done that ripping thru the grass thing but hadn’t had any luck - KEEP TRYING. GO WITH A RED OR ORANGE COLOR. IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, GET YOUR MOM'S ORANGE NAIL POLISH AND PUT DOTS ON EACH SIDE BY THE EYES. REMOVE REAR HOOK IF THEY START TO GET HUNG UP. MAY HELP REDUCE HANG UPS. YOU CAN ALSO DOWNSIZE YOUR LIPLESS CRANKBAITS TO A SMALLER SIZE. BUT WITH THE BASS ON THEIR BEDS THEY WILL NOT BE INTERESTED IN ANY CRANKBAIT OF ANY TYPE.

 

 yes the bass move to make beds in the shallow water but only when it’s warm for like 3 weeks then they go back when it gets cold again but when it was warm and I could see them I threw a Ned rigged white grub on a 1/8 ounce jig head and they just looked at they saw it and would move there heads but did not want to bite it even when it was right in front of them - NORMAL "BASS ON THEIR BEDS" BEHAVIOR. YOU CAN THROW ANYTHING YOU WANT AND UNLESS YOU AGGRAVATE THEM THEY WILL NUDGE YOUR BAIT OUT OF THE BED OR JUST IGNORE IT. TRY A LIZARD ON A SHAKY HEAD JIG HEAD AND DRAG IT SLOWLY THROUGH THE BED. AND AS STATED ABOVE, THEY WILL IGNOR YOUR CRANKBAIT SELECTIONS PLUS OTHER MOVING BAITS. YOU HAVE TO DRAG YOUR PLASTICS THROUGH THE BED TO GET THEM TO HIT IT. AND MANY TIMES THEY JUST WON'T HIT YOUR PRESENTATIONS.

 

 it says the water temp is 67 in lake Norman but I don’t fish there so what am I doing wrong? - NOTHING. 67* IS PERFECT FOR SPAWNING. THEY ARE ON THEIR BEDS SO YOU HAVE ABOUT TWO TO THREE WEEKS FOR THEM TO START TO BITE ON A REGULAR BASIS. THE LARGE FEMALES WILL TAKE ABOUT 3 TO 5 DAYS OFF RECUPERATING AND THE SMALLER BUCK BASS WILL LEAVE THE FRY AND TAKE OFF LOOKING FOR SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT, LIKE A GIRL SCOUT COOKIE (JUST KIDDING). REMEMBER, THE BASS WILL SPAWN IN STAGDES. THE MORE POWERFUL ONES FIRST FOLLOWED DURING  THE NEXT TWO TO THREE WEEKS BY THE SMALLER ONES. LOOK FOR "WHITE SPLOTCHES" ON THE BOTTOM WHERE THE MALE HAS FANNED THE SLOP AWAY WAITING FOR HIS GIRL FRIEND TO ARRIVE.

 

KEEP ON FISHING WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN EACH YEAR SO DON'T GET UPSET WHEN YOU GET SKUNKED. IT IS PART OF THE BASS LIFE CYCLE.

 

FOLLOW UP AND LET US KNOW HOW YOU DO NOW AND IN A MONTH.

 

Slade- SAM

[Slade Carroll]

8 hours ago, Sam said:

Slade, please note my input below:

 

Ok so the dogwood trees are not flowers yet but there are these white and pink trees that started to bloom near my house - CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES. THEY FOOL US EVERY YEAR. GIVE THE DOGWOODS A FEW MORE WEEKS TO BLOSSOM.

 

 no I have not tried a wacky rigged senko - WHY NOT? GOOD BAIT. TRY COLORS 194 OR 297 PLUS 174. OR THE COLOR OF YOUR CHOICE.

 

yet I have tried a lipless and have done that ripping thru the grass thing but hadn’t had any luck - KEEP TRYING. GO WITH A RED OR ORANGE COLOR. IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT, GET YOUR MOM'S ORANGE NAIL POLISH AND PUT DOTS ON EACH SIDE BY THE EYES. REMOVE REAR HOOK IF THEY START TO GET HUNG UP. MAY HELP REDUCE HANG UPS. YOU CAN ALSO DOWNSIZE YOUR LIPLESS CRANKBAITS TO A SMALLER SIZE. BUT WITH THE BASS ON THEIR BEDS THEY WILL NOT BE INTERESTED IN ANY CRANKBAIT OF ANY TYPE.

 

 yes the bass move to make beds in the shallow water but only when it’s warm for like 3 weeks then they go back when it gets cold again but when it was warm and I could see them I threw a Ned rigged white grub on a 1/8 ounce jig head and they just looked at they saw it and would move there heads but did not want to bite it even when it was right in front of them - NORMAL "BASS ON THEIR BEDS" BEHAVIOR. YOU CAN THROW ANYTHING YOU WANT AND UNLESS YOU AGGRAVATE THEM THEY WILL NUDGE YOUR BAIT OUT OF THE BED OR JUST IGNORE IT. TRY A LIZARD ON A SHAKY HEAD JIG HEAD AND DRAG IT SLOWLY THROUGH THE BED. AND AS STATED ABOVE, THEY WILL IGNOR YOUR CRANKBAIT SELECTIONS PLUS OTHER MOVING BAITS. YOU HAVE TO DRAG YOUR PLASTICS THROUGH THE BED TO GET THEM TO HIT IT. AND MANY TIMES THEY JUST WON'T HIT YOUR PRESENTATIONS.

 

 it says the water temp is 67 in lake Norman but I don’t fish there so what am I doing wrong? - NOTHING. 67* IS PERFECT FOR SPAWNING. THEY ARE ON THEIR BEDS SO YOU HAVE ABOUT TWO TO THREE WEEKS FOR THEM TO START TO BITE ON A REGULAR BASIS. THE LARGE FEMALES WILL TAKE ABOUT 3 TO 5 DAYS OFF RECUPERATING AND THE SMALLER BUCK BASS WILL LEAVE THE FRY AND TAKE OFF LOOKING FOR SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT, LIKE A GIRL SCOUT COOKIE (JUST KIDDING). REMEMBER, THE BASS WILL SPAWN IN STAGDES. THE MORE POWERFUL ONES FIRST FOLLOWED DURING  THE NEXT TWO TO THREE WEEKS BY THE SMALLER ONES. LOOK FOR "WHITE SPLOTCHES" ON THE BOTTOM WHERE THE MALE HAS FANNED THE SLOP AWAY WAITING FOR HIS GIRL FRIEND TO ARRIVE.

 

KEEP ON FISHING WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN EACH YEAR SO DON'T GET UPSET WHEN YOU GET SKUNKED. IT IS PART OF THE BASS LIFE CYCLE.

 

FOLLOW UP AND LET US KNOW HOW YOU DO NOW AND IN A MONTH.

 

Slade- SAM

Ok thank you so much!!! I know you said a month but I though this was very important information I went fishing today at around 6 and seven. ripples in the water from bass and bluegill bass where jumping out of the water I mean big ones I did not see any white splotches though but they where in shallow water near the bank I tried a whopper plopper and wacky rigged senko and a shaky head lizard and senko still nothing this is a game changer I have not seen the bass do this before only in the summer not early spring.-Slade

[Sam]

Remember, forget the above water temperature. Go for the water temperature as that is a major factor in bass behavior.

 

It could be in the 40's with water temps in the 60's, or vise versa. You stick with the water temperature and wait for the spawn to end and you will do great.

 

[Slade Carroll]

1 hour ago, Sam said:

Remember, forget the above water temperature. Go for the water temperature as that is a major factor in bass behavior.

 

It could be in the 40's with water temps in the 60's, or vise versa. You stick with the water temperature and wait for the spawn to end and you will do great.

 

Ok thanks

[Slade Carroll]

2 hours ago, Sam said:

Remember, forget the above water temperature. Go for the water temperature as that is a major factor in bass behavior.

 

It could be in the 40's with water temps in the 60's, or vise versa. You stick with the water temperature and wait for the spawn to end and you will do great.

 

One more thing this lake is HIGHLY pressured slot of people fish there and I see guys use every thing in there tackle box there.Theres not really much I could use to be “a little bit different” because everyone there wants to do the same thing as me and throw weird stuff will definitely try the drop shot.-Slade