Where are the bass ?? Always confused

[TnRiver46]

On 5/25/2019 at 10:12 PM, papajoe222 said:

Anytime bass are faced with unstable conditions, fishing is going to be tough. You still have to figure out where they are and then how to catch them. Pre-spawn is chock full of those conditions.

I'm in the same boat as you. I was killing 'em two weeks ago on the breaks out from some spawning areas. The surface water temp was 56. Three trips out last week, that temp only increased three degrees and it was like someone turned off a switch. The fish not only stopped their movement toward the spawning areas, they just suspended over the breaks and wouldn't chase anything.  I really dislike fishing for suspended fish in 15ft-18ft, but that's what it took. Thankfully, the surface temp was up to 62 Thursday and they'd moved up to the 10ft-12ft break and were holding close to the bottom.

 

For those tricky suspended 15-18 ft fish, try dead sticking a weightless fluke down to them. It’s all kinds of boring but they will eat it, just like a dead shad sinking down past them. I use hand poured ones that float so with the correct hook choice you can make them fall painfully slow and the bass just can’t hardly stand it. You can achieve the same effect with lots of plastic worms, just not the heavy senko or stick o. I love both of those worms but not for this application. Sloooooooow sink is key

[BuzzHudson19c]

Hit the river for a few hrs this morning. Managed 5 smallies (2 in the 3 lb range.)  Current is still ridiculous so it was tough in a kayak. Ratltrap was all theyd hit, nothing subtle. Visibilty was bad so tough to see beds. They were swiping baits not slamming them, which makes me think spawn has started.

[J Francho]

On 5/25/2019 at 4:09 PM, MN Fisher said:

Which is why I have a freezer thermometer tied to a length of line and a weight at the bottom. Knots every foot lets me drop it to a specific depth, let it sit for a minute or so, then haul it up and get a reading at that depth.

 

A pool thermometer works as well, and has a closer range to what we find on bass lakes.

[MN Fisher]

11 minutes ago, J Francho said:

A pool thermometer works as well, and has a closer range to what we find on bass lakes.

Ya, but I'm a cheap bugger. Had the thermometer sitting around, 1/4 oz casting weight from my box and a length of 50# braid left over from spooling my Fuego. No money spent.

[J Francho]

Laying around is the least expensive! 

[diversity210]

Bass do different things are different bodies of water and since Im not where you are.  I couldn't tell you how to locate them or what they might be doing.  I can tell you this though.  When the water temps warm up mid 70's on into the 80'.  A big Texas rigged worm always seems to produce. 

[Ksam1234]

3 hours ago, diversity210 said:

Bass do different things are different bodies of water and since Im not where you are.  I couldn't tell you how to locate them or what they might be doing.  I can tell you this though.  When the water temps warm up mid 70's on into the 80'.  A big Texas rigged worm always seems to produce. 

 

3 hours ago, diversity210 said:

Bass do different things are different bodies of water and since Im not where you are.  I couldn't tell you how to locate them or what they might be doing.  I can tell you this though.  When the water temps warm up mid 70's on into the 80'.  A big Texas rigged worm always seems to produce. 

I’ll be lucky if the air temps hit into the 70 and 80s this year lol 

[geo g]

Under normal times of the year, find the bait fish and you will find bass.  When in the boat I will use electronics to find bait fish and a depth.  When bank fishing I will use a senko type bait to find bass.  This bait can be fished shallow, in weeds, and wood.  Slow down, and fish ledges, and drop-offs.  Looks for big boulders off shore, and clumps of vegetation.  I learned a long time ago that an isolated clump of veggies,in a flat, is always better then a massive expanse of green stuff.  The isolated clump will draw fish from a flat to that small shaded area, especially when the sun starts to get high in the sky.

 

Back to the stickbait, You can fish it slow, fast, you can walk it along the bottom with the right cadence, and jerk it up off the bottom and let it flutter back down.  Weightless it can be a topwater lure, especially when in the thick stuff.  A very versatile search bait.  Keep changing techniques until you find some fish.  Don't call it a pattern until you catch at least three with the same action.  This is what I do to find fish without the boat.  The senko type baits are a confidence bait for me.  I have caught nice bass, largemouth, smallmouth, and Peacocks with this bait from Canada to South Florida.  It is a flat out killer bait for me.  I use lots of other baits from jigs, frogs, spinners, but this tool is where I go when searching.  Good luck!