Lunkers in private lake

[mdgreco191]

I have caught countless 1-3 lbs. bass out of my friends private lake, but I have not landed or even hooked a BIG bass.  One question is have the big ones gone nocturnal?  I have not caught a bass over 1 lbs. since the temps hit high 90's.  I have fished thru sun up and thru sundown using mainly poppers.  I have used other lures, soft plastics, minnow cranks, flies, spinnerbaits, and rattle traps, but none of these have worked.  What is catching y'alls big uns!!!!

I know their is big fish, I have seen them, I just can't catch them!!! :'(

[Chris at Tech]

Slllloooooowwwww and deep.

Try a jig or carolina rig in deep water.

I have the same problem on a buddy's lake.  The little ones bite shallow all day, but you need to do something different to find the bigger fish.

[fastcasterjo]

whenever I caught a big fish its with a deep diving crank bait. I fish it around stumps in 25 ft water. good luck. I caught a 7lb this year on a 1/4 ounce ratl trap. anyway good luck

joe

[CJ]

Chris at Tech,is right.Slow down,try a larger profile lure with less action like a 7" senko or a 10" worm.Big fish are looking for an easy-to-catch,larger meal.You may need to make several cast to an area to induce a strike.If there is no grass,try a jig.Good Luck CJ

[Lightninrod]

Hmmmmm.  I'd say there may be no big Bass in that pond.  It happens.  It can be from poor genetics and/or poor management with not enough forage fish or too many Bass.  If there are Crappie in there and it's a pond that is less than 10 acres, the Crappie will overtake it.

Big Bass may not go deep during the summer months as the lower depths may be oxygen-poor.  Warmer water should perk Bass up as they are cold blooded...  I've found some very big(for this area) Bass in very shallow water around here.  Had one on yesterday but failed to get a good enough hookset and she spit the hook back at me.  That was on a weightless Swimming Senko.  I watched the Bass inhale the bait...in 2' of hot(93 degrees F) water and believe me, she was not sluggish.

Dan

[rocknfish9001]

I always do very well doing just the opposite of slow deep retrieves. My number one summer bait is quickly becoming a buzzbait

[Catt]

To quote our own Bass Professor:

A widely held misconception is that big bass feed only at night, or at dawn and dusk. This is simply untrue; in fact, you are very likely to find large fish feeding during the middle of the day. Lunker bass can only grow bigger by feeding more often and eating more than other fish. They are more in step with the ecosystem, and have to be, in order to be first in line. They are the first to respond to such circumstances as the cloud cover before an approaching storm, the migration of shad to and from open water (usually occurring during mid-morning and mid-afternoon), or even the daily and monthly effect of the moon.

[Randall]

Shallow water in the middle of the day through the afternoon with swimbaits. I am catching all my fish over four pounds in the middle of the day into the afternoon on swimbaits in 90+ degree surface temps Some wind and clouds help the bite. What makes fishing in hot water tough on most small lakes with hot water over 85 degrees is the fish are shallow but suspended over deep water moving into shallower water only to feed then moving back out over the deep water to wait for the next feeding oportunity. The key to catching them is to be there when they are feeding which happens less often during the day when the water gets hot.

[mdgreco191]

thanks for the advice.  There are big bass, I once saw 4 different bass over 8 lbs. when walking down the bank!  One guy this spring caught a 13 lbs. bucketmouth!  I don't have any swimbaits but I do have big worms and deep cranks so I will give those a try!

[Taliesin]

  Quote

thanks for the advice. There are big bass, I once saw 4 different bass over 8 lbs. when walking down the bank! One guy this spring caught a 13 lbs. bucketmouth! I don't have any swimbaits but I do have big worms and deep cranks so I will give those a try!

If you are still seeing these bass as you walk down the bank, keep track of where they are. The next time you go out, tie on a frog (or that big worm, weightless) and cast to those spots. Don't get anywhere close to those spots until after you have fished them. Bass that close to a shallow shoreline are easy to scare off. I have used frogs, flukes, and all sorts of weightless plastics.

Best bet is if you can cast across part of the pond to land on the shore just past the spot. Bass sees frog crawl from shore into water. Bass sees frog start to swim away, Bass sees FOOD trying to get away. Bass kills frog. mdgreco191 catches big ol' bass with a big grin on his face!

I've managed to learn a few places this well and it has payed off big time.

[mdgreco191]

I really like that frog idea!  I never have used a frog, but I am gonna have to give it a try.  I have not seen those monsters since the temps hit high 80's.  I do fish those areas but I never tied on a large bait in those areas, so i am gonna have to try that.  thanks everyone!!