Any help would be appreciated.

[BubbaBassin’]

I’ve got a tournament coming this saturday, and I’m not hitting on anything guys. Super clear for the lake 4-6 feet. Temps in lower 70s. Fish in early post spawn. Lake is called Lake Harding. Any advice would be appreciated.

[papajoe222]

What's the main forage and cover on the lake? What has been working for others, or what hasn't worked for you.  Lastly, where did the majority of fish spawn (flats, bays, points)?

[Catt]

Well @BubbaBassin’ you're a tournament angler in a slump ?

 

Buckle down, fish your strengths, cover water thoroughly!

[BubbaBassin’]

18 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

What's the main forage and cover on the lake? What has been working for others, or what hasn't worked for you.  Lastly, where did the majority of fish spawn (flats, bays, points)?

Sooo rookie question, how do O find the main forage? The lake is notorious for strong gamefish, crappie, trophy stripes, and decent largemouth and spots on occasion. It’s fed by the hooch, so I’m assuming shad. I’m stuck with a tournament partner that doesn’t know what topography means, and just beats random banks. There is a surplus of docks, and it seems to be a fairly decent current pulling lake based on the river and dam, so the deep bite should be there. Most fish I heard about spawning were in backs of bays and sloughs. And to respond to @Catt, I’m only 17. So I’m new to the tourney scene. The slumps kinda always there lol. Just doing tourneys to talk to some oldtimers and glean some knowledge. What I learn is worth my 20$ entry fee. But I would like to make a good showing.

[Catt]

7 minutes ago, BubbaBassin’ said:

And to respond to @Catt, I’m only 17.

 

What's age got to do with it!

 

I can tell what the "oldtimers" will tell you.

 

17 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Buckle down, fish your strengths, cover water thoroughly!

 

[soflabasser]

24 minutes ago, Catt said:

Buckle down, fish your strengths, cover water thoroughly!

Good advice.

[Catt]

Listen to the first half  ?

 

 

 

[BubbaBassin’]

@Catt I’m looking to get into college tournaments when I enroll, how do I go about broadening my horizons so to speak, I catch around 1-2 keepers every time I go out, but I don’t really know how to establish a pattern, I’m still relatively new to competitive fishing. 

[Mobasser]

On 5/13/2020 at 9:29 PM, Catt said:

Well @BubbaBassin’ you're a tournament angler in a slump ?

 

Buckle down, fish your strengths, cover water thoroughly!

As Catt says here, this is the best advice you can get. Stick with the baits that have worked best for you so far. These are your confidence baits, and your strenghts. Good luck!

[BubbaBassin’]

1 minute ago, Mobasser said:

As Catt says here, this is the best advice you can get. Stick with the baits that have worked best for you so far. These are your confidence baits, and your strenghts. Good luck!

Wouldn’t that hinder progress and keep me from growing as an angler though? I feel like throwing the same baits over and over would limit my maximum productivity in different situations.

[soflabasser]

11 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

As Catt says here, this is the best advice you can get. Stick with the baits that have worked best for you so far. These are your confidence baits, and your strenghts. Good luck!

I agree with you and Catt. It seems that a lot of beginner fishermen get into tournament fishing too early before they able to catch a 5 bass limit on a consistent basis. It is best to know how to fish a couple lures very well than to fish dozens of lures and not fish them well.

[Mobasser]

11 minutes ago, BubbaBassin’ said:

Wouldn’t that hinder progress and keep me from growing as an angler though? I feel like throwing the same baits over and over would limit my maximum productivity in different situations.

In a tournament, I would fish baits that have worked best for you. You can practice all kinds of baits at other times. Fish it to win it

[soflabasser]

On 5/13/2020 at 10:47 PM, Catt said:

What's age got to do with it!

Usually with age comes experience but there are exceptions. I know many young fisherman that are very talented and others that have bass fished for +40 years and rarely catch big bass. It really depends on the individual and how much they are willing to work to improve themselves in bass fishing.

[BubbaBassin’]

Just now, Mobasser said:

In a tournament, I would fish baits that have worked best for you. You can practice all kinds of baits at other times. Fish it to win it

Right, I apologize I misphrased my question, what do I do outside of tournaments, to expand on what I already know, and to grow as an angler? Everyone says there’s nothing like time on the water, but I want to maximize what I learn, I’ve never caught fish I found on my electronics, I can pick apart most shallow cover, but the consistency is there, I think there’s something more to finding bass than just beating random banks With good looking cover and happening upon a couple keepers, this is really my only resource, with covid I can’t really talk to other fisherman, and I have no mentor. So I was looking for advice on how to start building towards consistency and finding patterns. If that all makes sense.

[Mobasser]

Some of the best tournament fisherman over the years rely on just a few baits to win.They can be versatile and able to.adapt to different situations, but still win with their confidence baits.

5 minutes ago, BubbaBassin’ said:

Right, I apologize I misphrased my question, what do I do outside of tournaments, to expand on what I already know, and to grow as an angler? Everyone says there’s nothing like time on the water, but I want to maximize what I learn, I’ve never caught fish I found on my electronics, I can pick apart most shallow cover, but the consistency is there, I think there’s something more to finding bass than just beating random banks With good looking cover and happening upon a couple keepers, this is really my only resource, with covid I can’t really talk to other fisherman, and I have no mentor. So I was looking for advice on how to start building towards consistency and finding patterns. If that all makes sense.

Don't worry too much, and don't over think it. Have some fun with your fishing. You'll develop your style over time.If you think the bass are laying under or around those docks, cast to them from all angles, and always make a followup cast. Hit em with a spinnerbait, to see if the bass are active. If so, move in for the kill with a t rig worm.

[Catt]

14 minutes ago, BubbaBassin’ said:

I’ve never caught fish I found on my electronics

 

Why?

 

 

[BubbaBassin’]

4 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Why?

 

 

Honestly? Intimidation factor. I have a Helix 5 gps Di on my dash, nothing on the front, It’s what I’m saving for at the moment, but I can’t seem to find them on a graph, I’ve searched humps and points, but I’ve never really seen anything, I know I should be looking for baitfish or arches, but It’s all just blank, I don’t know if I’m in the wrong place or I simply haven’t found them yet. And my graph doesn’t read past 38 feet. It simply loses all reading past there, even if my lower range is adjusted to lower than that or Auto.

[Mobasser]

In your original post you said temps in lower 70s? I'd be looking at more shallow cover areas. Sounds like a good day for spinnerbait, lipless, or shallow crankbait. But, I would still plan on throwing a plastic bait slowly also. 

[BubbaBassin’]

Just now, Mobasser said:

In your original post you said temps in lower 70s? I'd be looking at more shallow cover areas. Sounds like a good day for spinnerbait, lipless, or shallow crankbait. But, I would still plan on throwing a plastic bait slowly also. 

Oh that was an entirely different scenario, I didn’t want to clutter the general with a new post, so I necroed this one, the lake I primarily fish and am fishing now is Lake Harding, temps in morning push high seventys and midday can drastically increase up to Mid to high eighties.

[Mobasser]

2 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

In your original post you said temps in lower 70s? I'd be looking at more shallow cover areas. Sounds like a good day for spinnerbait, lipless, or shallow crankbait. But, I would still plan on throwing a plastic bait slowly also. 

Catt and WRB are here. These guys won't steer you wrong.

[BubbaBassin’]

Just now, Mobasser said:

Catt and WRB are here. These guys won't steer you wrong.

You’ve also been very helpful. Thanks for your time!

[Mobasser]

2 minutes ago, BubbaBassin’ said:

You’ve also been very helpful. Thanks for your time!

Remember: have some fun out there! Look at this as a learning experience. If you don't do well, learn from it and do better next time. I'd bet lots of other guys are struggling with this too.

[WRB]

HB Helix 5 GPS/DI is a good unit. Something is seriously wrong with the set up.

Read your manual and go online and look at set up vedios. You need to be able to use your sonar unit and interpret what is displayed. 

From your comment it souls like you have it running on show room display or not reading your transducer.

What type of tackle and lures are you comfortable using?

Tom

[BubbaBassin’]

Just now, WRB said:

HB Helix 5 GPS/DI is a good unit. Something is seriously wrong with the set up.

Read your manual and go online and look at set up vedios. You need yo be able to use your sonar unit and interpret what is deing displayed. 

From your comment it souls like you have it running on show room display not reading your transducer.

What type of tackle and lures are you comfortable using?

Tom

I’ve found baitfish schools and can determine the contours/ comp of the bottom, rock/clay etc, So i’m fairly certain I’m reading from my transducer, I also have a navionics card I saved for in it so I can better find more productive areas, I just don’t think I’ve sunk enough time into it to run across anything that I can identify as a definite bass, like an arch or stacked on bottom, I’m qui comfortable with a jig, I’ve caught multiple 5+’s on so I consider it a confidence bait, I use a wacky rig often as well as a failsafe or when I want to determine if there are smaller fish in an area as well, I’ve recently started throwing a squarebill simply to imitate a bluegill feeding on the mayflies that were hatching not long ago, I’m comfortable with a shakey head, I want to learn a deep crank and start learning some more reactionary techniques. I’ve fished a dropshot once or twice, Swimjigs have been great for bites lately as well, I just have trouble landing fish on them.

[DitchPanda]

9 minutes ago, BubbaBassin’ said:

I’ve found baitfish schools and can determine the contours/ comp of the bottom, rock/clay etc, So i’m fairly certain I’m reading from my transducer, I also have a navionics card I saved for in it so I can better find more productive areas, I just don’t think I’ve sunk enough time into it to run across anything that I can identify as a definite bass, like an arch or stacked on bottom, I’m qui comfortable with a jig, I’ve caught multiple 5+’s on so I consider it a confidence bait, I use a wacky rig often as well as a failsafe or when I want to determine if there are smaller fish in an area as well, I’ve recently started throwing a squarebill simply to imitate a bluegill feeding on the mayflies that were hatching not long ago, I’m comfortable with a shakey head, I want to learn a deep crank and start learning some more reactionary techniques. I’ve fished a dropshot once or twice, Swimjigs have been great for bites lately as well, I just have trouble landing fish on them.

Well I'm gonna say if your comfortable with a jig then you can fish a Texas rig. If your comfortable with a squarebill and swim jig then you can fish a spinnerbait, chatterbait and moving topwaters like a plopper or buzzbait. Also you are comfortable with a shaky head a wacky rig and your working on a dropshot. Sounds like you've got a very solid base. You've got bottom contact, power fishing and finesse covered. 

 

I agree with the play to our strengths on tourney day and experiment during fun fishing or in practice days. The longer you do it the more confidence baits you will have and become more well rounded.

 

Building a pattern is nothing more than just reading the clues the fish are giving you. Just do a little detective work. When you catch a fish just note..what pace did you work the bait at and what type of bait was it? What kind of cover or structure was it on? If no typical cover ie weeds, wood or rock what kind of bank...flat?  Clay? Sand? North or South facing? What is the water depth, color and temperature? Once these things are established you just move to other spots on the lake that meet your criteria and more often than not the fish will be present. Sometimes you don't even need to catch one to establish a pattern..just gotta pay attention to your surroundings. If you see bluegills on bed you can go around on sand and gravel points and catch bass lurking around the bluegill beds with things like a frog or senko. If you see shad flicking around by the boat ramp spawning you can fish gravel banks or around docks with a white spinner bait or swim jig and catch bass targeting the shad spawn.

 

To me the hardest thing to know is when to pull the plug. If you catch one on a jig and it was random you can get wrapped up and spend all day chasing a bite that's not there. Knowing when to say this isn't working so let's move on to something else is the trick. To me this is the thing that really takes time and experience to develop. Trust me I've caught one on a spinner bait then spent 4 hours with it never to get another bite. Then find out a buddy caught 5 on a crankbait...all I had to do was switch. Just remember you have much more to learn from a failure than a victory...treat bad days as learning opportunities...good days will follow.