North for Lizards?

[BassinBoy]

Hey guys, got a few questions on lizards.  I have had luck on lizards (Yum 4' Lizard) in NC where there is a good amount of them(live lizards).  For my first trip out during the spawn and prespawn, is a lizard a good idea for lakes in Pennsylvania?  We dont have lizards, just a few salamanders.  Will a bass automatically notice that it is a egg hunting predator, or will it just look at it and wonder what it is?  Sounds funny but im just not sure what plastic baits to use on this trip.  I have caught a few bass in ponds in PA on lizards but just unsure of using a lizard.  Other than a lizard, what are some good soft plastic baits for spring?  Thanks everyone

[Blue Streak]

I am just down the river from you in Ohio and lizards have always been a good bait in this area. I like the Zoom lizards the best.

[Micro]

I think lizards are supposed to superficially resemble salamanders/mud puppies which are found in just about any lake with bass.  They just call them lizards out of convenience - since it's a well established term.  Even if you didn't have these critters in your lake, IMO all the lizard does is elicit a strike against a nest raider or an irritant.  

[Chad.]

There are no lizards up here in CA, but they are one of the best producing here!

[NBR]

They are affective in NH so they must be OK in PA.

[-ebby-]

They work in MN so they should there to

[utahbasser]

dude i had a tournament in march where the main forage fish was bluegill. its a pretty clear lake too so i was using natural colors. i got teamed up with a guy that lives right by the lake and fishes it a ton.

i was throwing a junebug lizard and got a limit in 20 minutes. he was throwing a brown beaver and only had 1 bite to my 15. there are no lizards in the lake or nearby.

i just think a lizard is a great search bait and causes a lot of commotion in the water. i throw the 6" version and catch fish as big as the bait. just slow roll it on the bottom with a 1/8 or 1/16 weight.

the yum zellamander is 7" but has a twin tail and is a great bait too. lizards are my favorite soft plastics by far

[Grey Wolf]

Hey guys, got a few questions on lizards. I have had luck on lizards (Yum 4' Lizard) in NC where there is a good amount of them(live lizards). For my first trip out during the spawn and prespawn, is a lizard a good idea for lakes in Pennsylvania? We dont have lizards, just a few salamanders. Will a bass automatically notice that it is a egg hunting predator, or will it just look at it and wonder what it is? Sounds funny but im just not sure what plastic baits to use on this trip. I have caught a few bass in ponds in PA on lizards but just unsure of using a lizard. Other than a lizard, what are some good soft plastic baits for spring? Thanks everyone

Learn to think outside the box. If you learn to present any bait in the correct way , it doesn't matter what it looks like . The fish will hit it.

[Zel]

I throw lizards in spring and summer.  I texas rig 6 and 7  lizards, and carolina rig 4 lizards, and do pretty well with them in northeast PA.  I've found my catches on the lizards tend to be better quality fish.  Personally, I only use basically 3 colors, black (with and without blue tails), pumpkinseed (with and without chart tails) and watermelon (black flake and red flake).  When I'm looking for a kicker fish, I go to a lizard.

BassinBoy, as for your trip to Pennsylvania, when it comes to plastics, I'd recommend to have some 4 & 5 Senko type baits (I usually texas rig the 5" and wacky rig the 4"), some Fat Ikas (rigged backwards), and some 4" hand poured straight tailed worms on a jig head for when the bite gets tough (like the Slider Spider Head jigs in 1/8 oz).   Stick with dark natural colors and I think you'll do fine.

[aggiebassin]

i have caught tons of fish on lizards and have never seen a lizard or salamander in any of the water i fish.  maybe it brings out instinct in the fish....maybe it just looks like something to eat.  all i know is they work.