Snakemover Posted July 30, 2006 Posted July 30, 2006 I had to change my name from SnakeMover. I still remove snakes, but I STINK at catching bass! >:(I've been reading the articles around here for a couple of months. I even print some out to study on the boat and try different things. Saturday morning I got proof that I am actually bass repellent. Picture this... I went out at daybreak. It was around 80 degrees and the water temp was around the same. I used my topo map and df to scout some coves and places that fish usually hang out or pass thru. Around 9:00, after getting no bites, I found a submerged creek channel leading into a big cove. The channel averaged 12-14 feet with the flats around going from 2-5 feet deep. I followed the creek bed into a smaller cove that had a couple of really old docks. The cove is about 100 feet long. Starts out 45 feet wide and narrows to about 15 feet. The middle is 4 or 5 feet deep and it just under a foot around the edges. I was using a pumpking green/red flake work c-rigged. I was casting under and around the docks when I happened to glance over to the other side of the cove. Sitting 20 feet away, up against the bank, were 3 LMB between 18 - 26". I tossed the worm over by them, but a little high. The worm got hung up on a overhanging branch. :-[ The weight slipped down and spooked the fish. They moved over about 6' and stopped. I couldn't free the worm, so I got out of the boat, slowly walked over to the bait and freed it. The water was 1' deep. One of the bass slowly drifted towards me and stopped about 8 feet away. I was thinking I could have dove on him. I slowly walked back to the boat and tried casting again. The worm landed in front of them. They swam over and went right by it! I tried again. One of them picked it up!. I went to set the hook and he spit the worm out! So, I figure, let's try a real worm. I tear off the zoom trick worm and set a night crawler on the hook. By now two of the fish have left and there's one left. He looks just under 2' long. I toss the worm about 3' in front of him. He darts over, looks at the worm twiching and swims away! I could swear I heard little fish bubbbles of laughter drifting up thru the water. Could they have been filled up so much already that they wern't hungry any more??? I thought bass would stuff their face when presented with a real live worm?!?! I don't get! Am I bass repellent? Should I sell my rods and buy some knitting needles??? Do bass have a sense of humor and like to tease people?!? Seriously, should i have used a top water bait or something else? I had a couple of small blue gill in my live well. Would that have worked? I can't believe I could be SOOO bad at something. I mean, how lousy can you get at fishing when you can see the fish 10 feet away and not catch em???? Any advice would be appreciated. If I cant catch them using a rod and reel my nexst move is to shoot them when I see the in shallow water. Or maybe get depth charges! Dennis Quote
Bassassasin12 Posted July 30, 2006 Posted July 30, 2006 I've had days like that before, sightfishing is the most annoying thing sometimes, but its also really fun when they will hang on to the bait! Quote
Top Posted July 30, 2006 Posted July 30, 2006 Dennis, I feel your pain my brother... really I do... nothing is WORSE than watching the guy at the front of the boat whacking them and your skunked... now THAT will put a damper on your attitude with a QUICKNESS... or better yet... I have YET to weigh a fish in my Bass Club this year... yep NADA.. NOTHING.. ALL YEAR!!!! 3 Tournaments and I have landed TWO fish... one a northern and the other was like 1/8th short... ARGH... maybe we should start our own club... the "bass are safe fishing club"... Quote
x-trued Posted July 30, 2006 Posted July 30, 2006 Hey, don't be so negative about this man. It doesn't mean it is all you. I don't have answers to all of your questions, but even the pros have a hard time getting bass to take their lures at times. A lot of stuff comes into play other than the fact than it is you making the presentation. Be patient and keep at it. And have fun! The way I look at it is this: If I have to catch bass every time I go out to enjoy fishing, then I am going to be dissappointed at times. Enjoy the challenge. If it was easy, it wouldn't be as fun for me. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy it a lot more when I have a good day, and who doesn't love the feeling of hauling in a lunker? Just don't get discouraged when it doesn't happen. Quote
Matt Jungblut Posted July 30, 2006 Posted July 30, 2006 if u can see the bass they probally seen u 2 u need confidence and quit trying so hard i have many days like urs the harder u try the more upset u get u need to take a break a cool down period u said u had some blue gil maybe fish for bass in the morning then when u get flustered u can switch and catch some gills then when ur calmer try the bass again i seem to catch more when im in not concentrating so hard on them when i light a smoke or eatin a snadwich gettin a drink of pop or something thing when i am least exspecting a bite thats when it comes or if im fishing plastics and look away for a second thats when i get my bites Quote
RandySBreth Posted July 30, 2006 Posted July 30, 2006 Skip the c-rig aound shallow cover like that. Try soft jerks, senkos, t-rigged worms or tubes. even a jig. And if you can see the fish, they can see you. They may have a pea size brain, but that doesn't meen you can't spook them. And spooked doesn't always mean swimming away, sometimes it just means shutting down and staring at you, laughing. Quote
Snakemover Posted July 31, 2006 Author Posted July 31, 2006 Thanks for the replies and encouragement guys. I DO have to remember that I just got the boat and only got serious about bassin a few months ago. Hanging out on a boat with a cold beer and a smoke sure beats some other ways to spend a day! I have managed to catch 2 bass in the past month. But they were waht I think you guys call dinks. One was 6" and the other was barely a foot long. Maybe when the bite is hard to come by, I'll switch to cat fish. Drop a bait and wait while you sip a cold one. Would shooting a bass while sight fishing be considered un-sportsman-like??? ;D Just kidding! Hey Sarge, that club idea might be worth looking into!!! ;D Dennis Quote
Koikus Posted July 31, 2006 Posted July 31, 2006 BR: Heed the advice above...they're all good. I liked XT's entry "A lot of stuff comes into play other than the fact than it is you making the presentation." Listen, attitude makes a whole lotta difference in this deal, trust me on that. I struggled with the same thing when I first started getting into bass fishing. Don't be so hard on yourself!! I'm thankful the waters I fish are stained enough so I can't see the fish at all cause I would probably get really discouraged if I knew just how many lunkers ingored me. Hang in there dude. Quote
Super User Gatorbassman Posted July 31, 2006 Super User Posted July 31, 2006 Those who know me, know that I love to sight fish. I sight fish most of the year. It seems as though you spooked the fish. A bass doesn't always run off when you spook it. Many times it will just stop biting anything or back up into cover. Each bass reacts differently to the sight of some guy with a long stick standing up in some floating thing. As has already been said. If you can see the bass, the bass can see you. This fact greatly decreases the chance you have a putting that big boy in your boat. The best thing for you to do in that situation is to back off as soon as you see the fish. Back up to the point that you can't see them any more and then make a very careful cast with very little splash. My favorite lure for this is a weightless "The Fluke" (not a Super Fluke) on 8lb flourocarbon. It is light and makes very little splash and can be fished slowly. Quote
Snakemover Posted July 31, 2006 Author Posted July 31, 2006 What's a fluke? Would using a little bluegill on a bobber work too? Quote
Low_Budget_Hooker Posted July 31, 2006 Posted July 31, 2006 Blue gill will definately work. Fluke is a soft jerkbait used texas rigged. Quote
Snakemover Posted July 31, 2006 Author Posted July 31, 2006 Cool! I'll have to try that next time. Now that I know where they live and the creek bed they use to get to that cove. I'm still bringing a gun, crossbow and speargun. Just in case it they don't bite again! Quote
Low_Budget_Hooker Posted July 31, 2006 Posted July 31, 2006 A good size chunk of C4 plastique will cover more area Quote
Snakemover Posted July 31, 2006 Author Posted July 31, 2006 I was thinking about just sneaking up on them and diving on them with a net. A co-worker just told me that netting bass in NC is illegal. That true? Where can I get C4??? Quote
Super User senile1 Posted July 31, 2006 Super User Posted July 31, 2006 I have no doubt that these fish saw you. I believe Matthewj already referred to this. His advice on this is golden. Back off and try again. Quote
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