Favorite Bed Baits

[Luke Barnes]

I probably need to put this in General, if so please move, but i know NOTHING about bed fishing. I now know some lures to use, but besides that I'm a total newb at it.

[avid]

On 1/15/2021 at 9:34 AM, Catt said:

I have a new favorite ?

 

Zoom Magnum Ultra Vibe Speed Craw

 

This is not the Super Speed Craw with the big ole flapping pinchers but a beef up version of the Speed Craw.

 

Colors I like Green Pumpkin or Watermelon & occasionally Sapphire Blue.

Hey Catt ‼️  What was your old favorite 

[Catt]

49 minutes ago, Ovid said:

Hey Catt ‼️  What was your old favorite 

 

 

[avid]

I’ve cataloged all your jig secrets and sell them on the internet ?????

[ajschn06]

On 1/15/2021 at 9:11 AM, A-Jay said:

"Old Timer" trick that's been happening for almost as long as Alka Seltzer been sold.

Slipping in half of a foam ear plug at the end will not only hold the tabs in but could also help slow the fall.

Don't soak it in Megastrike first though. 

A-Jay

I remember reading it in a book I got from the library 30 years ago..

[detroit1]

Whatever i use, it will still be less than 4" long and a color that i can see.

White, chartruese, pink / rage craw, ned, tube

[Mastercaster]

Tube

3 " senko wacky worm

Zoom Lizard 

[papajoe222]

An original Bluegill Fat Gitzit tube, unless the water is too stained to see it well. Then it's a Pearl White one.  If I can cast past the bed and hop it onto the bed and let it sit. 

If they're bedding deeper than 5ft.-6ft. I'll go with a split-shot lizzard, or a Baby Brush Hog. I cut the front 'legs away from the body at the front attachment and the action and appearance is very similar.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Palm Tree with this hook.

[Catt]

8 hours ago, Ovid said:

I’ve cataloged all your jig secrets and sell them on the internet ?????

 

Rotflmao ?

 

They can get free on bassresource!

[RDB]

For sight fishing, either a white Rage Menace or Bug (without the top arms).  I want something where the hook covers most of the bait with few appendages as they often pick it up and move it off the bed.

[Catt]

On 1/15/2021 at 9:31 AM, Bigbassgrubslayer said:

What did you catch that beast on and what were the conditions/water depth like? I'd like to know, thanks

 

Don't know how I missed ya!

 

February 3rd 2007 was a nasty cold morning with Northwest winds at 15-20 mph, a slight misty rain falling, and temperatures in the middle 30's. After having launched out of Jack's 944 Marina I made the short (2 minutes) run to the mouth of Bull creek trying to stay out of the wind and some what warm. Having rounded the corner I dropped the trolling motor, picked up my Rat-L-Trap rod again with the thought in mind of keeping moving and staying warm. My third cast was into the mouth a cut leading to a boat shed which I knew had stumps on the west side, after turning the handle 4 or 5 time my trap stopped solid, I tell Pat d**n to close to the stumps so I push the trolling motor handle towards the mouth of the cut while stepping on the switch. At the exact same instance my line starts zinging towards deeper water rod all bowed up & drag slipping; I immediately scream at Pat get the net. By now the boat is moving off to my left the bass is moving off to my right and I'm nearly on my knees in front of the console with the upper third of the rod in the water. Pat net in hand is now on the front deck killed the trolling motor and with a swift motion netted the hawg; which ends up weighing in at 12 pounds 8 ounces.

 

[Deleted account]

I have stopped using soft baits to bed fish....

[Mat_ski]

Depends how deep they are, but I like baits that I can put directly above their faces ie. topwater and suspending jerks. 

[Deleted account]

8 minutes ago, Mat_ski said:

Depends how deep they are, but I like baits that I can put directly above their faces ie. topwater and suspending jerks. 

Won't that spook them?....  

[the reel ess]

Lizard, jig, T rigged craw or whatever is tied on.

 

But it'll be a lizard. I found lately they'll blow up a frog while on the bed. Topwaters work well when you know they're bedding but you aren't targeting a specific bed.

12 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

Won't that spook them?....  

They'll know you're there. And you might spook them. I have sat right over a bed in my kayak and gotten a bass to bite a jig. It certainly knew I was there. I wouldn't approach a bed with a noisy topwater. But if you fail to get a bite, come back to it with something else. 

[bigspirit]

I don’t go out of my way to try to catch a fish off a bed but like others mainly because I’ve wasted more time when I should have been fishing for fish that wanted to bite. 
 

My most effective rig has been a Zman green pumpin hula stick. The trick to it was putting a neko weight in the nose and then using a small wacky hook and hooking it in the tail right before the appendages begin. The hook was hidden and it was in the top of the bait where the fish almost always picks it up to move it. 

[Mat_ski]

1 hour ago, Deleted account said:

Won't that spook them?....  

Spook, no, but infuriate.

[WRB]

Etc Bed fishing or site fishing bedding bass is up to each individuals ethics. 

I usually avoid advising how to catch bed bass because these fish are not eating they are guarding their nest?

Nearly anything the bass sees as a intruder will get a strike to kill and remove. The key IMO when site fishing beds is being able to visually see the bass strike whatever lure you are using to time the hook set immediately.

Soft plastics with appendages often get picked by the appendage ending up ripping it off. Too large size of lure can result in missed hook sets. The bass doesn’t care if the intruder in a 3” minnow or a 10” swimbait, it must be removed.

Essentials are good polarized glasses wide brim hat the share your eyes to see the bass. Lure color doesn’t matter to the bass but it does matter to you to be able to see it. Remember it’s not food to the bass it’s a egg eating intruder.

I use my white shad hair jig because it’s under 4” long with a 5/0 hook that I can see from a distance. When the bass angles down on the jig I set the hook the instant the bass strikes it and rarely miss.

Tom

PS, don’t hunt for beds anymore but if run across a bed with a big bass nearby will try to catch it.

[Big Rick]

[avid]

On 3/18/2022 at 10:50 AM, Mat_ski said:

Depends how deep they are, but I like baits that I can put directly above their faces ie. topwater and suspending jerks. 

I slayed bedding bass using a jerk bait   I would cast behind the bed slash it hard then let it suspend over the bed  BAM ‼️  Another favorite tactic was paddling a super frog over the nest and then stopping it over the bed  the frog corkscrews toward the nest and the bass destroy it  

On 1/15/2021 at 2:59 PM, Mike L said:

The Magnum has been my go to plastic for about 2 yes now. 
 

After a frog it’s the-next thing I pick up. 
No other plastic has been as successful to the point where I won’t use something else. 
 

Honestly I never even thought about swimming one over a bed. 
I usually just use a craw type bait in and around the bed  as I mentioned earlier. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

Oh yeah   I rarely fish bedding bass directly on the nest   I love using  tube or horneytoad and watching it spiral down toward the nest 

[WRB]

On 3/26/2022 at 3:07 PM, Ovid said:

I slayed bedding bass using a jerk bait   I would cast behind the bed slash it hard then let it suspend over the bed  BAM ‼️  Another favorite tactic was paddling a super frog over the nest and then stopping it over the bed  the frog corkscrews toward the nest and the bass destroy it  

Oh yeah   I rarely fish bedding bass directly on the nest   I love using  tube or horneytoad and watching it spiral down toward the nest 

Please don’t use treble hook lures bed fishing.

Tom

[the reel ess]

I also like bright baits for this. Bubble gum, lime, white are good. Really helps to see the bait move. Otherwise you might be watching the line for movement. We don't have crystal clear water here.

 

As for the ethics side of the debate, many of the same people who tell you not to target bedding bass will keep a limit of spawning crappie. Why is one ethical and the other unethical? They'll also haul 5 big bass around all day to weigh and return the all in the same place while telling others not to eat a bass.

[J Francho]

This isn't really a specific bait, but a favored technique when they're finnicky: https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html

[CrashVector]

Ned rig, pit boss.