Skunked bad

[Derek1]

All weekend, three different ponds. I threw everything I had, every shape and color of worm, some crank baits whopper ploppers, buzz baits, spinner baits. I just couldn’t get a bite on anything. Ended up with a backlash so bad I’m gonna end up cutting all my braid off. Lost a whopper plopper, all around horrible. I was so excited to get out and do some morning fishing it’s been a while since I had time for that.  Broke my line off three times trying to get into tight spots. I’m no great fisherman but I sure tried hard to no avail. 

[Choporoz]

Rough weekend here, too, Derek....didn't get skunked, but tried to.  Friday turned out ok, but really had to work for them....Sunday, I went out at dawn and fished for almost six hours before I put one in the boat....bass fishing shouldn't be this hard

[Brew City Bass]

Been tough here in Wisconsin. Rain has my home lake up 4ft. Like water over everyone's docks high. This dropped the water temps close to 10* and has the fish pretty lockjaw and hanging deep. 

I managed 6 in the past three days fishing (6 hours a day) from dragging jigs in 20-30ft of water. Was an absolute grind to get those fish. Wouldn't be worth it if I wasn't just happy to be out, even if it was storming every day.

[DINK WHISPERER]

No skunk here but darn close! Don't feel too bad. 

[kenmitch]

Getting skunked is no fun. Luckily the stench doesn't go with it. 

 

My last outing I was throwing larger baits trying for larger fish. It didn't work out for me. As I was heading back in I decided to throw on a Warpig and hit the submerged trees and hooked and lost a small feisty one as my drag was a little too tight. Loosened it up some and hooked and landed 1 LMB that weighed 2.65 lb. 

 

Without having some bad days the really good days wouldn't be so great! It would be nice to just knock them dead all the time but I'd imagine after a few thousand catches it wouldn't be so rewarding. 

 

 

[Choporoz]

2 minutes ago, kenmitch said:

Without having some bad days the really good days wouldn't be so great! It would be nice to just knock them dead all the time but I'd imagine after a few thousand catches it wouldn't be so rewarding.

I acknowledge that you may well be very correct.   However, I'd be willing to take one for the team, risk that and give it a try

[Glaucus]

Yep. Nope. I just like to knock em dead every time.

[Spankey]

26 minutes ago, DINK WHISPERER said:

No skunk here but darn close! Don't feel too bad. 

I'm on my third weekend of dinks and runts. Been doing the back to back morning thing. The nice fish are there but have shut down. I've had big hits than they lay off of it. Yesterday I had a nice hook up of decent bass. 2-3 lb. guess. Two jumps and threw a worm. I'm still butt hurt about it. Be patient. They'll kick it up a notch soon. They are there. Try not to get frustrated. Sometimes when things go bad they turn into crap show. 

[Catt]

Some days are diamonds, some days are stones, some days ya better off not leaving home!

[Glaucus]

My morning was great. Started with a Whopper Plopper and only got a few dinks. Went to the Ned and didn't get a thing. Then went to a KVD 1.5 and slayed big Smallies. I thought it was gonna be a horrible day because 1. The Ned didn't get a lick, and 2. Somehow my Whopper Plopper got snagged on a rock under the surface upon splashing down in the river. I'm like, are you freaking kidding me? HOW? So I'm carefully wading out to grab it because that isn't how I'm gonna start my day. No way, no how. Get half way and it gets scary...a dadgum SNAKE is eyeballing me. I'm like oh hell no spawn of Satan and backtracked. Grabbed a stone and whacked it. Got my Plopper back right after. God rewarded me for beating that devil. I mean, I have PTSD now, will have nightmares, and will need therapy, but I got my Plopper.

[Derek1]

Yup most of my snags we’re out of frustration and boredom. The lost whopper plopper was cause I got bored on Friday night and decided to have a casting contest with myself and loosend up all the breaks. I forgot to reset them on Sunday morning. The braid snapped of and I watched that sucker fly off into the sunrise with no chance of getting it back. Then a major backlash trying to cast in between branches I just don’t have the skill for yet, now I’ll be cutting $30 worth of braid off that’s only 3 weeks old. No guts no glory I guess lol. Lesson learned go home before you get stupid. 

[Ratherbfishing]

ah...the late summer early fall phase.  It's a tough time for nearly everyone (or it can be).  You know what they say about "expectations being planned disappointments."  It's no truer than in fishing.

[Steve1357]

I've caught more channel cats on spinnerbaits in August than bass....

[Glaucus]

Do you live by a river or have easy access to one? The pond and lake bite for Larries has been bad for me. River Smallies are hitting like crazy. Could be an option? Not sure where you're from.

Try to find a river dam.

[Hillbilly Bennett]

1 hour ago, Spankey said:

I'm on my third weekend of dinks and runts. Been doing the back to back morning thing. The nice fish are there but have shut down. I've had big hits than they lay off of it. Yesterday I had a nice hook up of decent bass. 2-3 lb. guess. Two jumps and threw a worm. I'm still butt hurt about it. Be patient. They'll kick it up a notch soon. They are there. Try not to get frustrated. Sometimes when things go bad they turn into crap show. 

I’m right there with you Spankey. Where I live there are very few quality bass and more runts than you can throw a Ned rig at. We had an early July cool spell that yielded some good fishing but since the temps went back up it’s been a major dink fest. I finally managed to hook a solid bass on a night blade spinnerbait in last week’s Thursday night derby only to have it throw the hook right at the boat. At least there have been a few bites. Dinks are better than nothing at all.  

[Koz]

6 hours ago, Derek1 said:

 I threw everything I had, every shape and color of worm, some crank baits whopper ploppers, buzz baits, spinner baits. I just couldn’t get a bite on anything.

 

There's a lot of that going on around here as well. It may be September, but the heat index is still 98-104 most of the day and in the low to mid 90's in the mornings and early evening. With the heat being like this for months the water in our lagoons are at their peak water temperatures for the year. Algae is beginning to bloom even on well maintained lagoons and aquatic vegetation is getting unruly.

 

I fished good producing lagoons for an hour on early Sunday evening on 90 minutes on Monday morning and didn't get a bite. I've fished about 6 hours total in the last two weeks and have only a single 3.5 pounder to show for it. But that's the way it goes this time of year.

 

It's going to still be hot in the daytime down here for another month or so, but the days will be shorter and the evenings cooler so the water will start to cool off a bit. By late October or early November things will start to pick up a bit through the winter.

 

It's funny, I look forward to spring fishing every year until I realize I'm another year older. That's the way it is when you're on the back 9 of life.

[Sam]

Derek, where are you located?

 

Stormy weather would shut down the bite as the storm left your area and you have blue bird skies.

 

Let us know the weather conditions a few days before you fished and the day of your fishing excursion.

[Derek1]

I live in mass. I don’t think there were any storms right before I could be wrong though. We did cool down abit though a few days before and the bite turned on then rediculously hot for a few more days. One pond is not that big and I know the water is really warm. The few cool days breathed a little life into it. 

[Derek1]

Went out again tonight almost got skunked again. Got one about 10” and this one little over a pound and a half. There a little thin right now this one would have went a little more earlier in the season I think. 

I have to add it felt great to have something smash a square bill on my medium action rod. I can’t wait to add a medium casting setup to the collection next spring. 

[Bluebasser86]

The summer to fall transition period is always tough. Losing baits is just kicking a man while he's down though. 

[Spankey]

19 hours ago, Hillbilly Bennett said:

I’m right there with you Spankey. Where I live there are very few quality bass and more runts than you can throw a Ned rig at. We had an early July cool spell that yielded some good fishing but since the temps went back up it’s been a major dink fest. I finally managed to hook a solid bass on a night blade spinnerbait in last week’s Thursday night derby only to have it throw the hook right at the boat. At least there have been a few bites. Dinks are better than nothing at all.  

I hope the guy hooks up with some runts at least. I'm throwing 80% soft plastics and fishing 20% crank baits. 

 

I got to thinking about a bait I bought and used for the river and I'm totally overlooking it over the last few weeks to fish. The TRD and jig head. I still think it will be an attraction to small fish but may help with a bigger hook up with the exposed hook. Smaller bait may help, may not. Slow finesse presentation may help, been throwing a lot of dark colors may go to opposite side with minnow colors. 

 

Believe me I'mnot trying to rub any salt in an eye. The Lalapoluza of dinks and runts ain't all that. Just throwing some ideas out there. Been fishing a few different worms. 4"-5", drop shot, split shot, t rig and shakey head/jig head. I'm gonna stick with the slower, smaller, lighter, plastics for now. 

[Hillbilly Bennett]

15 hours ago, Spankey said:

I hope the guy hooks up with some runts at least. I'm throwing 80% soft plastics and fishing 20% crank baits. 

 

I got to thinking about a bait I bought and used for the river and I'm totally overlooking it over the last few weeks to fish. The TRD and jig head. I still think it will be an attraction to small fish but may help with a bigger hook up with the exposed hook. Smaller bait may help, may not. Slow finesse presentation may help, been throwing a lot of dark colors may go to opposite side with minnow colors. 

 

Believe me I'mnot trying to rub any salt in an eye. The Lalapoluza of dinks and runts ain't all that. Just throwing some ideas out there. Been fishing a few different worms. 4"-5", drop shot, split shot, t rig and shakey head/jig head. I'm gonna stick with the slower, smaller, lighter, plastics for now. 

The TRD and jig head combo has been catching smallmouth and Largemouth all year for my fishing buddy. He’s caught some dandies on it too. I have netted a few Largemouth and smallmouth over 4 lbs for him this year on that set up. I’ve picked it up and have been catching fish on it but haven’t landed anything that large yet. 

[JustJames]

It happen to most of us this time of year especially those of us Bank beaters. It either dinks or skunked, you pick.

I prepared this year so I still catch bass but most of them dinks  with a few 2lbers mixed in. I target only weedy area and use only weightless small plastic like Trick and Finesse worm sometimes baby menace grub or hula grub (all weightless) work as well. This morning I caught about tens with Roboworm Ned Worm (MMii) wacky rig no weight.

 

Most of the bass I caught were within 10' of shoreline on top of weed/grass. All I can say is down size your lures and slowwwww way downnnnnn.