I need help...

[inwbassangler02]

I am 17 years old and I live in eastern WA where we have tons of smaller natural lakes. I’ve only been bass fishing for a couple of years. I fish out of a Canoe with a trolling motor and a Garmin Striker 4. Last fall, spring, and this summer I have been struggling hard to catch fish (both in quantity and in quality.) I only have confidence in a wacky rig Senko and a KVD dream shot drop shot. They work, but I’m tired of finesse fishing and I’ve been struggling with both lately to begin with. I’ve tried looking through tips online, but I honestly cannot find ANYTHING that works. I am frustrated and I need tips and advice from people who are more knowledgeable than I am. (Baits, where/how to find fish, etc.)

[MN Fisher]

Question - what rod and reel are you using. Could be that your current rig can be used for other techniques.

 

My luck lately hasn't been the best, but as one canoeist fisher to another there are things you can do.

[MickD]

The "Dive To" series of Rapala crankbaits are very good for all species of fish.  Get a DT 4, DT 6, and DT 10 in the Smash color (Iconelli special color) and try them in the appropriate depths.  Second color would be the live river shad.

 

Work them slowly, with stops.  If there are bass there, you'll get bit.

 

Another non-finesse technique is 4-5 inch swim baits (Keitech/Strike King coffee KVD/etc) on 3/16 or 1/4 oz darter head jigs  either worked slowly or snapped off the bottom.  White for clear water, darker for stained.  Green is always a good choice for bass.

 

If in deep water try the old silver buddies or similar.  Fish are particular about size on these things at times, so try a couple sizes.

 

Ask at bait shops for tips.

 

 

[jbmaine]

Here is my go to bait. I always have one tied on and it almost always gets bit.

Strike king KVD swimm'n caffeine shad paddle tail, 4" in KVD magic color, on a Owner twistlock 1/4 oz. weighted  hook.

 

This is pretty weedless so toss it in weeds, toss it in clear water, anywhere. Fish it fast, slow, bounce it off the bottom, I have not found a wrong way to fish it. For me it catches LM,SM, pickerel, perch, pretty much anything in the water.

 

I caught two LM on two casts with it yesterday, bouncing it off the bottom in about 10ft. of water.

[jimmyjoe]

56 minutes ago, MickD said:

Ask at bait shops for tips.

   Yeah, kinda good advice. Sometimes, bait shops want to sell you whatever it is that they have left over, though.  Better info can be curried from local fishermen. And I do mean local. I've gone as little as 90 miles from my local area, and lures (and somewhat the techniques) changed a heck of a lot. Good luck.      jj

[scaleface]

Select your lures and rigs based on the  cover and structure you are fishing and the equipment your using . There should be several that  work   . Use them all . Being you didnt give much  info on your situation , it is hard to make recommendations . I  have never fished natural lakes . I'm speculating the water is clear , deep , relatively structureless . What aboutcover ? 

[Big Rick]

Topwater fishing is a ton of fun. Remember to use mono for the desired stretch and flotation. Try a popper and a plopper. These can be cast on spinning or casting gear. Target the bank and any structure. Give them a little time and you'll see success. Topwater techniques are best at first and last light. However, overcast days provide many hours of good topwater fishing. Bass that are shallow relate to cover. Cover is anything that the bass chooses to hide beside or under. Logs, docks, grass, pads, and anything else that's stationary. So, fish your lure as close to this stuff as possible without hang up. 

 

Popper: Cast it out. After it settles on the water give it a 3 series of twitches which should result in your popper popping and spitting water. Pause a second or two after. Repeat until you've fished well beyond the strike zone. Reel in and cast to the next target. 

 

Plopper:  Cast it out. Reel it in. Pretty much as simple as that. Keep your speed as slow as possible and yet still achieve the plopping sound from the bait. Sometimes the bass will short strike or boil directly behind the bait. Pause your retrieve immediately. After a short pause twitch it a time or two then resume your retrieve. Often times the bass will explode on it and give you a heart attack. 

 

Obviously, these applications don't work ALL the time. But, when the day is breaking and the weather is warm you stand a great chance at catching your best fish of the day on these or similar baits. Hope this helps.....

[TnRiver46]

Rage tail menace!!

[WRB]

Catching bass consistantly isn't about what lure to use, can't catch them if they are not there. 

Knowing the type of tackle you use helps to suggest both lure types and presentation techniques.

During the spawn cycle the majority of the bass are in shallow wind protected areas.

After the spawn during the summer warmer water periods the adult size bass move out into deeper water areas near the concentration of prey sources and the bass have a lot to choose from.

To catch bass during summer requires locating the bass and selecting lures that can be fished effectively where the bass are. Without knowing the lakes it's a guessing game.

Tom

 

[inwbassangler02]

6 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Question - what rod and reel are you using. Could be that your current rig can be used for other techniques.

 

My luck lately hasn't been the best, but as one canoeist fisher to another there are things you can do.

The only casting setup I have is a Pflueger Supreme XT on a Medium heavy 7’ Shimano crucial. My spinning setup is an Okuma Trio with a 6’6 medium action Ugly Stik elite. That’s all I can currently afford, but I’m saving for more. 

5 hours ago, scaleface said:

Select your lures and rigs based on the  cover and structure you are fishing and the equipment your using . There should be several that  work   . Use them all . Being you didnt give much  info on your situation , it is hard to make recommendations . I  have never fished natural lakes . I'm speculating the water is clear , deep , relatively structureless . What aboutcover ? 

Natural lakes (at least in my area) are small and lack an abundance of structure, points, and steep drop offs which is making my summer fishing difficult. There is a lot of thick weeds, pads, and other vegetation. 

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, inwbassangler02 said:

The only casting setup I have is a Pflueger Supreme XT on a Medium heavy 7’ Shimano crucial. My spinning setup is an Okuma Trio with a 6’6 medium action Ugly Stik elite. That’s all I can currently afford, but I’m saving for more. 

Oh there are so many techniques you can do with those two rigs in addition to the finesse.

 

Recommended lines:

30# braid on the Supreme. I'm a fan of Power Pro original - 150yds for $15 at TW

12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid on the Trio...if you want a leader on the braid, use the Hybrid. 600 yd spool is only $11 at TW

 

Recommended Techniques:

T-Rigs, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, buzzbaits on the Supreme

Crankbaits, jerkbaits, Neko, T-Rigs (yes, again) on the Trio

 

I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind off the top of my head. I'd pick 2-3 of those and practice...practice...practice.

[WRB]

Featureless shallow small natural lakes or large ponds that become over grown with aquatic growth, does this discribe what you are fishing?

Tom

[roadwarrior]

 

[Darren.]

Welcome aboard!

 

Some great advice above, on trying different lures.

I'd suggest a Ned rig to your arsenal, but you are getting

fed up with finesse, so maybe a change up is in order.

 

An old adage: during tough times "slow down" your approach.

That is, when frustration sets in, we can tend to get the bait

out of the water faster and try again and again and again.

Hence "slow down".  Can be difficult when frustrated, no doubt.

[FishingGeekTX]

- Early morning topwater in shallow water (cast bank to boat).

Topwater can be anything from a frog for heavy weeds, buzzbait light weeds, treble hook (whopper plopper) open water.

 

You can also try the hour before it gets dark.  For me its less consistent than the morning bite, but they can also turn on for an hour or so then as well.

 

Are you fishing smallmouth and largemouth?  Maybe someone can recommend good lures/techniques that appeal to both?  I don't know anything about SM fishing unfortunately, but I would imagine you could use lures that may appeal to both for a number of techniques, which may improve the odds.

[webertime]

3.8 Keitech Swing Impact Fat on a jighead 

4.8 Keitech Swing Impact Fat on a 4/0 1/8oz weedless swimbait hook

Pop-R or smaller Spook on spinning rod

Tokyo Rig with a Speedcraw

Chatterbait

 

[snake95]

There are often posts from anglers that have hit a dry spell and get frustrated.  Ups and downs occur with everyone, even pros and guides.  

 

So often anglers turn to this particular topic looking for or talking about "magic baits."  My pet peeve is guys talking about "secret spots" "secret baits" "magic colors" etc etc.  In bass fishing, there is no magic.  There is however, logic and probability.

 

Based on several years of fishing and reading and absorbing and weeding through tons of information (and misinformation) from You Tube, Bassresource, etc, I've realized that successful fishing is only in part to do with  the lure.  You have to be in the right place, at the right time, presenting a bait that the fish want to strike, for whatever reason.

 

Roadwarrior's reference above is a good place to start, the senko is very popular because it is a bait that will consistently produce in so many conditions.

 

However, even the mighty senko won't always get bites, even when fish are around.

 

Some ideas to increase your probability of success:

 

- Like anything, practice and observe, try different things, and don't get discouraged when they don't work.  Every fishing trip is like training in any other sport.  Experience leads to improvement.  The more you fish, the more you learn what tends to work, when and where.  A fishing trip with no fish caught still helps make you a better angler, even if it is discouraging.

 

- In broad, general terms, lower light conditions tend to be better.

 

- In general terms, cover and structure are good places to start.  

 

Try to match your fishing to the seasons, the weather patterns, time of day, etc.  Above all else, read or watch to learn about the seasonal distribution and habits of bass.  There are always exceptions - but really its all about probability - where are the fish most likely to be, what is their mood most likely to be (pre-spawn, post-spawn, summer funk?  deep water? -- why are they gravitating to the spots they are?  For example, there are reasons why bass are caught on topwaters in the warmer months, particularly during certain times of their year.  Also reasons why some baits are more universally applicable over the full course of a year (ned rigs, dropshot, etc) than others.

 

- When it comes to lures, consider general rules of thumb -- consistent producers -- plastics with muted and natural colors, and popular baits like the senko, the fluke, paddle tail swimbaits like the Keitech Swing Impact fat, and lures with a long track record, the original Rapala minnow, the Strike King KVD 1.5, popular spinnerbaits, etc. etc.  The ned rig is simple and so often effective.

 

- Match your presentation to your gear.

 

OK, all that said, here would be my own favorites for general conditions - most of the year.  But I just want to emphasize: there are no magic baits.  You have to learn where the bass are and what they're most likely to be up to.

 

1.  Ned head with TRD.  Pick a natural-ish color.

 

2.  Small jig with grub.  Hard to beat the 3" YUM grubs from Walmart.

 

3.  T-rigged worm.

 

4.  Keitech swing impact fat on a 3/8 oz SK squadron head or similar head.

 

5.  Rattling crankbait like a SK redeye shad or rattle trap.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[scaleface]

I,m not a vegetation expert and what I fish is probably more fragile than what you are fishing . When faced with vegetation I use spinnerbaits and buzzbaits around the edges and over the the top of submerged weeds/algae  . Weightless soft plastics work well. I have been having a lot of success this year with toads  . Frogs work too . If the vegetation is sturdy enough a lot of folks like to throw lipless crankbaits in it , then rip it free to trigger strikes . Others like to  punch through it . Johnson silver Minnow's are made for it . Maybe some guys more experienced fishing vegetation will weigh in .

[BassNJake]

 

On 8/3/2019 at 3:31 PM, inwbassangler02 said:

I only have confidence in a wacky rig Senko and a KVD dream shot drop shot. They work, but I’m tired of finesse fishing and I’ve been struggling with both lately to begin with.

On 8/3/2019 at 10:42 PM, inwbassangler02 said:

Natural lakes (at least in my area) are smal and lack an abundance of structure, points, and steep drop offs which is making my summer fishing difficult. There is a lot of thick weeds, pads, and other vegetation. 

 

Where have you been fishing that you have been struggling?

As location is far more important than what bait to use.

 

How deep is the lake?

water temp?

Is the whole entire lake choked with weeds or do they stop growing at a certain depth?

 

Glenn- the owner of the website is from Washington state too (I think)

He's posted some great videos on different techniques in different situations, give them a look

Here's one that is a modified drop shot(which you have confidence in) used to work in heavier cover(like your dense weeds)