I just dont know what to do....

[MediumMouthBass]

Ive been fishing most of my life but only started taking it serious the past few years, this is only my second year fishing for bass in the spring season tho (i almost always avoided bass and went for trout this time of year).

But last year i did very well, i caught the biggest bass of my life and had lots of fun and was able to learn so much, but i still have lots, and lots to learn.

 

So heres some info about where im fishing, and what the issue is.

The body of water im fishing is my favorite place to fish, i caught several 2, 4, 6, 8, and a 10lber last year. But its a very odd lake/pond not sure what to call it, its around 1 to 2 miles long but only 20-40 feet in width on its average but has a unique spot where its 100 feet wide, its deepest part is 8-10 feet, but average is 4-8 feet. Rocks are on the edge of most of the lake/pond, in the summer its almost unfishable because of the aquatic vegetation but its good until july. Its basically shaped like the letter I, just with a few points on it and some variations in width.

Right now theres no grass or vegetation but it will probably start growing around may. There is no structure, big rocks, or grass on the bottom right now. Its flat and featureless, a few downed trees are in some shallow/deeper water but there doesnt seem to be any fish there at the moment. I did very good last season fishing a Jackhammer and Warpig ripping it out of the grass , but until the grass grows i dont know what to do.

Ive been there a few times this month and the water is usually clear 4-6 feet down but now its about less than a foot. It has a odd color water from the zebra mussels, kind of a blue/green mix. There have been lots of trout and bluegill swimming around the bank, and today i caught my first fish of the year a decent sized crappie but the bass seem to be dormant. 

This lake or pond, is right next to the Susquehanna river and whenever it has flooded in the past it leaves some fish behind so there are some smallmouth, musky, catfish and carp but its mainly largemouth, crappie, bluegill, and trout. Not only does it have alot of bass in it but it has a huge big bass population, there were bass jumping late last spring that made the 10lber i caught look small.

 

The times ive been there this month there were about 10 other people fishing for bass and not 1 bass was caught, ive tried spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits, shakey head, wacky worm, all kinds of different soft plastics on the texas rig, jigs, and others.

Covered half the bank, i used natural colors and ridiculous bright colors too, fished fast, slow, on all the water columns. Lures with flash and vibrations, and baits that are subtle and almost motionless. But so far no bass, and i havent even seen one yet, but as i said earlier the trout and panfish are feeding and roaming the bank. Not sure what else to do but maybe wait a few weeks.

Any suggestions on what to try or if anyone has an idea on whats going on with the bass would be very great.

 

(There are other lakes, ponds, and even a river nearby but most of those have poor bank fishing and the rest i have to wait until the water temps are safe for kayaking, so this lake/pond is my only option for now)

[Texas Flood]

Have you tried a jerkbait or a big swimbait like a magdraft. 
 

Like Forrest Gump, I’m not a smart man but I would suggest seeing if those two would work. 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, MediumMouthBass said:

The times ive been there this month there were about 10 other people fishing for bass

Any suggestions  would be very great.

 

I have 1 very simple suggestion.

Fish where & what you're comfortable with,

just do it when no one else is there.

When ever that may be.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[BigAngus752]

1 hour ago, MediumMouthBass said:

this is only my second year fishing for bass in the spring season

 

1 hour ago, MediumMouthBass said:

6, 8, and a 10lber last year

No.  I will not help you.  

 

[GreenPig]

Sounds like you've tried the normal baits. You may want to crawl a Huddleston 68, since it has trout in it.

I always assume most of the big bass that people see jumping are carp. 

[MediumMouthBass]

Ive got the Bass Mafia (magdrafts), some savage gear glide baits, 13 fishing glidesdale, and some 6oz line thru trout in the tackle room, i really want to use them this year but didnt think about trying them yet since they havent bit much else, but next time i go ill bring some to try. And i dont fish jerkbaits just due to how many times ive badly hooked fish when using them. Thats why i like using lipless cranks, sure they have treble hooks but im always almost constantly moving the lure so i set the hook as soon as i feel the bite.

[RRocket]

Tough to beat a dropshot at any depth when bass are lethargic.

 

I'd also throw a flat bluegill bait (Deps Bull Flat) on a Free Rig or Texas and see what happens with that.

[FishTank]

When the normal stuff doesn't work, I go big and I go small. Meaning I throw stuff like a 6in Magdraft or 10in worm and then I am also throwing BFS stuff (which seems to work all the time).  Sometimes this time of year, all the bass a grouped together. If you find one, you will find them all. And there is always the chance that they're just not biting. 

[rgasr63]

Have you tried a 3.5 in swimbait on a jig head I think it might help you.

[Tennessee Boy]

You came close to breaking your state’s largemouth record last year and it sounds like your prospects are good for breaking it this year.   I wouldn’t do anything different.  😉

[DaubsNU1]

@BigAngus752, HAAAA! 

 

I fish a somewhat similar lake here in Nebraska...flat, featureless, some rip-rap here and there, vegetation later in the summer.

 

The lake confounds me! Buddies have pulled out 5+lb Bass...largest I've ever boated was 4 lbs from this lake.

 

I might suggest running a square-bill down the rip-rap, bang it on rocks as best you can. Good luck!

[casts_by_fly]

17 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said:

The body of water im fishing is my favorite place to fish, i caught several 2, 4, 6, 8, and a 10lber last year.

 

Not only does it have alot of bass in it but it has a huge big bass population, there were bass jumping late last spring that made the 10lber i caught look small.

 

I just dont know what to do....

 

My first recommendation would be to buy a scale and tape measure.  And I hesitated posting that as a suggestion because I don't want to sound like 'that internet guy'.  However, I think there is benefit in undertanding the size of fish you're catching relative to the body of water you're in and the area you live in.  There are no lakes in PA with an abundance of 10 lb bass.  I'd go so far as to say there are no lakes in PA with an over abundance of 6+lb bass, and certainly not heavily pressured ones (I'm putting Erie smallies aside).  Understanding the fish that are in the lake is the first step to understanding how to catch them.  If in fact you're truly targetting 10 lb bass, you're looking at the biggest fish in the lake (and state- the state record is only 11-03).  Those fish don't normally jump at the chance to chase down a school of 2" minnows.  In that case, I'd be fishing at night, this time of year, with big baits.  Early spring is the best chance of the year to catch the biggest fish in the lake when they are at their biggest for the year.  Like Ajay noted above, fish when and what other people ain't.  If there are 10 guys fishing the lake, the bass will have turned into a neutral or negative mood pretty quickly.  They will turn back on after the pressure is off, but they will need some time.  This time of year, I'd find the deepest water nearest to the shallows you can get.  With the swingy weather, they'll take the chances offered to get up shallow and warm up, but the pressure will push them back down.  That's the norm this time of year.  A little shallower, a little deeper.  Rinse and repeat.  To minimize bass energy spent, they will pick the spots with shallow and deep as close as possible in that lake so their travel isn't as far.

 

 

 

 

[MediumMouthBass]

@casts_by_fly i have a scale and ruler with me whenever i go fishing, most places i fish in PA only have between 2-4lb bass on average. This was a different case for me because it was at the high point of prespawn, plus this body of water is between a power plant and a highly polluted river so im thinking back to the old marvel comics and movies and highly suspect these bass are supercharged by whatever has gotten into the water the past few decades. They also eat a ton of trout. But the rest of the year until its almost completely unfishable because of the vegetation its mainly 3-6lb bass that are biting, i was shocked when i caught that one and a few of the others. I will try to target the big ones around may or june. Right now honestly i would be happy even catching the 2-3lbers. And sadly this body of water closes right at sundown so night fishing wont be possible.... But thank you for the tip about the deepest water near the shallows ill think about that the next time im there.

[WRB]

Your honey hole dried up!

Most bass weigh less on a scale….

Texas rigged worms, lizards and creatures is all you need.

Tom

[MediumMouthBass]

Here are a few of the bass from last season, these are the smaller ones because the pictures were on a different phone.

 

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Your honey hole dried up!

@WRB you must be right.... I was checking the dates of the fish i caught and i was catching bass in February and March, now we are almost into April (our pre spawn in my area of PA is between April-late May) So far not even a small bit of bass activity. They used to be jumping constantly, hitting the surface and chasing bluegills and trout but so far its almost as if they took a vacation to another state.

I tried the zoom lizards and magnum lizzards, even put one one a Siebert fogy (without the skirt) and slowly crawled it on the bottom, but no success.

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, MediumMouthBass said:

@casts_by_fly i have a scale and ruler with me whenever i go fishing, most places i fish in PA only have between 2-4lb bass on average. This was a different case for me because it was at the high point of prespawn, plus this body of water is between a power plant and a highly polluted river so im thinking back to the old marvel comics and movies and highly suspect these bass are supercharged by whatever has gotten into the water the past few decades. They also eat a ton of trout. But the rest of the year until its almost completely unfishable because of the vegetation its mainly 3-6lb bass that are biting, i was shocked when i caught that one and a few of the others. I will try to target the big ones around may or june. Right now honestly i would be happy even catching the 2-3lbers. And sadly this body of water closes right at sundown so night fishing wont be possible.... But thank you for the tip about the deepest water near the shallows ill think about that the next time im there.

 

So this is a bit different of a situation than what most would think about this time of year.  If its where I'm thinking of, the plant discharges warmer water than the lake would normally have.  You're going to get into the spawning season sooner than the rest of the lakes in the area.  The bass also get a longer growing season.  If its the location I'm thinking, you're probably at 55-60 degree water right now, maybe a bit more.  If its less than that, I'd be focusing on the slack water near the moving water sections.  Baitfish will be congregated there.  If its that warm or more, the bass will be up shallow on beds.  I'd still look to the moving water, but a little further away from the outflows.  The moving water keeps sediment from building up and washes fresh water over the beds.