Please Help

[-BassMasterBling-]

Alright well i have done it. I found an amzing lake to fish. It has been a little dificult tho. let me descride it and see if yu can help me out:

  i fish from shore(aint gotta boat) but half way around I am fishing from about a 5ft cliff above the water. The water is the clearest i have ever seen. NO LIE, i cann seen (from a 5-6ft cliff) about 25ft down. Its weird. This is without polarized glasses. Alright this gets better, I have little bass (1-3lbs)swimmin around, and i catch one once in a while.Not bad. My problem is that there are big ol' pigs swimmin in with the little ones, but they wont bite. And its not like its one or two its like 25-30 bass around the edge of the lake!

  I have put on a leader, and i even went all the way down to 6lbs.

I have tried a variety of lures:

 -SENKOS(dark, medium, light colors) all sizes also

 - crank baits(lipless also)

 -fluke

 -spinner baits

 -buzz baits

 -all plastics pretty much

 - and many other lures

I have heard of lettine the little ones play with my lures and not hook them and the bigger ones will pick it up afterwards but that hasnt worked for me either.

I dont know what to do

PLEASE HELP

thanks

[the ohh face]

I usually will surpise myself with a few big fish when trying a new technique.  Never really tried a dropshot rig till last week and caught a 5lber.  Have seen a LOT of threads on this forum on big fish techniques as well. A keyword search will provide you with pages of advice.  And if you arent adverse to using live bait you can usually catch a monster or two a day with shiners.

[Paul Roberts]

You know, sight fishing is an eye opener. It can show you how tough it is to dupe fish, especially in clear water and bright sky conditions.

This is mostly going to be a timing thing, rather than a magic lure.

Best bets:

Low light conditions -very early morning and evening when the sun is low, overcast skies, wind rippled surface, slight turbidity, etc...Or, at night. Of course under these conditions you can't see them then, but they are easier to dupe. At least you know your on exceptional water.

Do not let them see you. This is not always required but often it is, especially when visibility is good. The turn off can be subtle enough you might not notice it.

Big bass are often more composed and less apt to expend the energy to chase, unless it's a sure thing. Slower and more subtle is more often the ticket.

Experiment with lures. A big jig w/pork, a large worm, a creature bait, a soft plastic craw, a walking topwater (Zara/Sammy), a buzzbait, a big crankbait or swimbait. If under somewhat high visibility conditions go more subtle -a 7inch tranluscent straight tail worm with little or no weight weight, or a wacky-rigged stick worm.

Observe: Look for possible "in's".

Adjust your expectations. Don't expect to catch the big ones every time. You should be proud of yourself when you do.

[Crestliner2008]

In such a situation you need deploy one technique and one technique only: STEALTH. Take my word for it, if you can see them, they can see you. And you are sooooo ugly, it shuts them right down!  ;D

Seriously, I would only fish it during the mid-day hours. Yep, that's right. That's when the biggun's are most active. I would SNEAK up on them; slowly and carefully. Wear "sneakers" and walk softly. Take your time. Move SLOWLY into position. Sit down and wait awhile. Then cast out a 6" (smoke w/black flakes) Senko, wacky rigged with 2/0 red circle hook. Let it sink slowly of it's own free will. Then wait some more as it sets lifeless on the bottom. If nothing happens after 15 - 30 min., twitch it off the bottom a bit and let it set some more.

Before you know it, your line will start to slowly move off. Do NOT set the hook....just reel until you feel pressure. Now you've got 'em - these hooks set themselves. Just keep reeling. Stealth has paid off for me on a number of occasions and it can for you too. Just give it a chance and have patience. This approach works!

Good Luck!

[PooNug]

Big bass are often more composed and less apt to expend the energy to chase, unless it's a sure thing. Slower and more subtle is more often the ticket.

i find this to be the key to catching those bass that chase your lure but don't bite.  i've had the best luck with crank baits fished slowly with very subtle but frequent action on the rod.  try using bigger lures; this tends to upset the bass more.  if they're not biting because they're not feeding then they might bite to defend their territory.  persistence is key; if you swim your lure by enough times the bass might just bite because it's fed up with it.

[-BassMasterBling-]

ok guys thanks for the help i will be sure to try these thing when i go out tommrow morning

[the captain]

Being that you are fishing in PA, and most bass around me now(central pa)in lakes are spawning right now, the bigger ones may not bite. If you really want them to bite just watch how they react to sunfish and smaller bass when they get too close if they attack aggressively to defend, then put on a big slow crankbait in the same color as the fish that the big bass are attacking. Work it right up to them and kill it. Then jerk the rod a few times and reel the rest of the way back in. If that doesnt work try a suspending crankbait in the same color and same technique as before mentioned and see if that works. and as others have said be very stealthy especially with clear water. They have very good upward eyesight. better than sidewqys and straighforward eyesight.