I see'm..no hits.. what to do next

[Bassin101]

Water temp 60, bright sunny day, water visability to 3-4'.  Before I even get in the boat, I can see  

4-5 bass cruising in 1-4' feet.  From shore, I have tried the tiny torpedo, a grub on a jighead and small jerkbaits.  They get the fishes attention and some follows but no hits.  WHAT WOULD YOU DO NEXT?  :-/

[waterfoul]

Jump in with your landing net and start chasing them!  ;D

Just kidding.... keep trying baits I guess.  Senko's???  Seem to attract even the most stuborn fish.

[Fisher of Men]

Tube bait, live minnows, fluke?  If water is clear make sure you're using clear/fleck, salt/pepper, etc. colored baits.  

[coldsteel]

Try a large tube bait with a small explosive charge inside...that should do the trick. ;D

[roadwarrior]

Clear, shallow water is probably a few degrees warmer than the main body. The fish you saw were probably in shallow chasing minnows. A fluke, rapala, or something resembling a minnow might be effective. I probably wouldn't fish for them but just note that the fish are active. The bigger fish will still be in somewhat deeper water.

I would try a white or chrome/blue Rar-L Trap five to ten yards out, parallel to the bank and over structure. Maybe a shallow crank like a Bagley BII or even a Bomber Square A. Spinnerbaits or jerkbaits are other options. I would be looking for a reaction bite.

[VTbasskid16]

jerkabaits seem like a good deal. Go for small ones.

You may have to leave it there for a  long time. I have heard on leaving a senko for up to 3minutes.

Sometimes a bass doesn't like it in there terrritory and will get annoyed and eat it. It must be small so the bass wont get scared.

     A small popper with Feathers,( not bucktails) can invoke a reation strike. If one misses it, leave it there until the ripples die away then give it one pop. The feathers will pulsate in the ripples and the popper will sway.

[bassinjack]

i have a saying thats stood for 10 are so years now

if they don't bite off a purple K&E worm they ain't gonna bite if you see um you might want to go finess light line and light lures and be vary stealthy

try hitting those same spots you seen the bass early in the morning are late in the evening if you have a front thats gonna move through in the next 36 to 48 hours fish then to. watch the moon phases

i have allways slayed bass 24 to 36 hours before the new are full moon

keep er tight and keep er wet

                 Jack

[Detroit3Pistons]

When I was on vacation at my Uncle's house he lived in a big housing establishment with about  clear ponds. I saw many bass cruising the shore line and wanted to catch them. All I did was pitch a Senko in front of them and most of the time they would eat it. It has to be done so they can't see you and when the lure hits the water it has to be silent.

Hope this helps

[D.Taylor]

101

You caught the bass in one of there most negitive moods of the season. They are up crusing looking for a place to bed. Until these bass lock down they are extremely hard to catch.

We had this situation happen in a tourney last year. No bass in sight on friday caught them on the outside grass line. By saturday after noon they was crusing every where in the shallows.

95% of the bass weighed were caught before 10 am and it only took 4 fish to win it.

[Chris]

I would switch to a 4 inch senko, 4 inch cuttail, watermelon or greenpumpkin or a 4 inch slider worm baby bass, watermelon, or grape on 6 lb test line. Bass are either going to hit a vertical presentation or a horizontal one. If its not one then it might be the other. If they are in the mood to feed on the bottom then they are not going to look up and if they are feeding up they are not going to look down. If the fish are keying on crawfish for example how many crawfish do you see zooming by in the water column. By the same token if they are keying in on shad they are not going to be rooting around on the bottom to find one. Sometimes they have a one track mind that tells them that the last positive feeding experience was a crawfish on the bottom so if they root around enough they might have another they can eat. If your holding their attention then they might be in the feeding mood they are just in the mood to feed on the bottom and your presentations don't fit their mood. If this don't work then it could be like D. Taylor said and your dealing with fish trying to find a place to spawn.

[earthworm77]

I'd go with a small 4" Salted Stickbait or a tiny hair jig or tube. Downsize.

[Tom]

Jump in with your landing net and start chasing them! ;D

Just kidding.... keep trying baits I guess. Senko's??? Seem to attract even the most stuborn fish.

CHEERS MY MAN CHEERS!! A senko is the miracle sight fishing bait with even the most lethargic or stubborn fish. At a lake around here, there is water about 2 feet, if not less, deep, with very clear visibility. Everytime I go there, there are maybe 4-5 bass cruising around in and out of there. All these older guys are crowded around and the one time I was so sure of myself, I pushed one aside, pitched my senko against the wall, let it sink for about 5 seconds, and BAM! I got a large female, about 5 pounds. They guys thought it was a joke, seeing as a 12 year old pitched a a plastic in and easily got one. But one had an old beat up senko.. He didn't have as good of luck as I did, but he caught a few. Learn to fish the lure and it it'll do ya good!