Help me unlock the pattern here please!

[little_stephen]

Ok, So...... I hit the lake this weekend. And i didnt land anything, but I managed to get myself good and cofused.....  Im fishing that same lake I gripe about all the time. Shallow, mud bottom, stained water, TONS of lilly pads. those pads are the only form of cover on most of the lake. All other cover is POUNDED by shore anglers unwilling to be like me and rent a boat.

The spots I focused on were the places where the pads lines formed irregularly and where they had distinct transitions between the tight packed tall pads that sit about a foot off the surface, and the looser surface pads.

Here's what Ive tried and how it turned out:

-Buzzbaits, Chatterbaits, and Spinner baits with big colorado blades havent worked, but they stir up the fish in the tight pads and I can see the pads jerk about when they move. Its even easy to follow them around the pads that way-but once I stir them up, they wont bite when I present plastics to where I see them.

-Senkos tossed up on the pads then allowed to fall weightless havent done anything, I dont think the fish can see them.... I think they need to feel them more, you cant see a neon chart. senko over 6 or 7 inches in this stuff.   Ive also tried jerking/ swimming them thro the low pads and along the edges without success.

-Shakeyheads havent worked on the root systems bottoms.....

-even my best jigs are getting snagged in the root systems, Ive spent more time with the plug knocker some trips than my rod.

-Horny toads and other frogs (including bigfoots and floaters) have gotten me boiled on. And I caught my ONLY fish on a zoom horny toad, but that was under ideal circumstances........ other times the fish dont show ANY intrest. I think its got more to do with the constant frontal changes.....    Problem tho, when I cant get the boat, or I have to take it back, I only have access to a section of tall pads that the toad has so far proven useless at staying on the surface in.

-Poppers along the edges have gotten attention, but no bites, plus durring ideal hours for them its almost impossible to get a boat.

-my own special home made contraption consisting of a tube with a floater in it and either a roboworm tail, or trick worm tail glued into the oppening so it floats has gotten attention, but no bites.     I jerk those around the edges they make a GREAT bit of comotion and the action is awesome.

-Ive been sticking to a basic color pallete because of the water clarity that doesnt exist...... whites, blacks, chart. some firetiger patters     the zoom toads im getting swirled on alot with the pumpkin seed with chart on the bottom.....

# 49 here....

http://image.basspro.com/images/images2/14000/14235.jpg

Im sticking to colorado blades, and big ones.....

but I tossed a spinner and reeled it in, it got to about two feet outside the boat right before i pulled it up and I actually saw a bass SMACK, and I mean Smack and Run that bait sideways, that means that sucker came within inches of the surface, like were talking 4-5inches. but that was all I got.

-Poppers are basically all chrome with blue or black bits

-I have tried briefly tossing a white mag trap around the edges..... with little , well no success.....

Heres a nasty diagram I scribbled out, Its of a decent spot where theres some shore cover I can try to skip under, some debris, and lots of pad transitions, but in retrospect, I think i needed to back off a bit and fish where I dropped anchor.... It was what I guess u could call the narrowest point at the end of a "channel" formed between two long rows of pads. The cross hatches are the taller pads, the circles are the surface ones, the other stuff is the debris and tree I talked about

<a href="http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk154/sdsmith823/?action=view&current=forum1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk154/sdsmith823/forum1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

blue is the spinner bait paths I threw.   Oragnge Is the toads and frogs.    Pink is where I tossed the shakey head rig to the root systems.    Green is where I tossed and retrieved the popper

PLEASE help me unlock what these fish want to see in front of them to ****** it......   I just cant keep chucking a horny toad and praying that theyre in the mood to suck it under....... I mean yes eventually Ill agravate them into it, but its alot more fun when theres actual skill involved......

so lets hear it. (sorry so long)

[fishfordollars]

I will give it a try with the understanding that I have never fished in Ohio. Not knowing what color the water is does not matter to me.

I own over 5,000.00 worth of tackle and I do not own a green popper, orange toads, pink shakey heads, or blue spinner baits. It tells me that your colors are off when a fish follows a bait(among other things).

I would start fishing the deeper pads early with either worms or baby brushhogs in the following colors. Camo, watermellon red, PB&J, black with bluetail, junebug, cinnamon, junebug/red, or any number of other darker colors.

Chrome blue back traps in 1/2 oz are one of my go to baits in off color water. Bang them off any cover you can find.

Fish the areas that other people cannot get to. C-rig the deeper areas with either worms, cetipedes, craw worms, or lizards in the above colors.

Crankbaits in various colors and if the bottom is a harder substance make it dig into the bottom. Do not just chunk and crank. Run them into everything you can find and stop and go at different times. Fish everything in different cadances until you get bit.

I would fish the plastics on 1/8 and 3/16 weights until I got out to the deeper water.

Not sure why you keep going out there fishing the same thing. It is about choices(You and the fish). If something is not working try something different.

I have used this as a starting point on a hundred lakes I had never seen and it works. Find out what everyone else is doing and try something different. Why are you so hung up on colorado blades for your SBs? I personally would be throwing Indiana or willowleaf just to show them something different. In fact I would prefer the willowleaf and keep it in the twilight zone(The area just below where you cannot see the SB). If it's got bass in it I will find a way to get bit. Just a matter of time on the water.

Good luck

Also, if you will give me the name and it has a location in Navionics explorer I will mark it for you.

As for as your signature goes, change it. The best fisherman is the one that hits the water and figures them out first and brings the largest sack to weighin more times than not. He is always the happiest.

[Jeff Farrow]

grnpumpkin watermelon 5"senkos 1/16 bullet 3/0 gamakatsu hooks.. fish it nice an slow... like the guy above said about gettn to the bottom getting in them hiding places... im a plastic guy and they work for me nice an slow.

good luck hope you catch some your next time out..

[Brian_Reeves]

I'd go with high-action soft plastics on light (1/4oz) T-Rigs or use those same soft plastics on a thick skirted jig with rattles.  I'd favor darker colors...at least watermelonseed...but would probably go with solid black, black and blue, or black neon.

Soft plastics that I like that produce a ton of action are  Rage Tail Craws, * ***, and 10inch Berkley Power Worms.  If fishing on a T-Rig, place a bead in between the weight and the hook-eye.  That will serve as a rattle.  If the weight keeps hanging in the pads, get an insert rattle and peg your weight.

As far as reaction lures, rattle-traps and spinnerbaits should be the way to go.  I'd try a Hart Tackle Black Heart spinnerbait.  It's a night fishing lure, but it's perfect for really turbid water as well.  It has a shovel for a blade.  As for rattle-traps, Fire Tiger is an all time favorite of mine.

[Catt]

Based on baits the bass have shown attention to my adjustments would be Ole School:

Hildebrandt Snagless Sally 3/8 oz gold blade, white/chartreuse skirt with a Zoom 5 Swimming Chunk; retrieve within 6 of the surface. I may even change the skirt to white/chartreuse/blue

Johnson's Silver Minnow ½ oz in gold color with a Zoom 5 Swimming Chunk; retrieve slowly with your rod high keeping it on the surface.

Fish both baits in the pads themselves not just the outer edges

For plastics I would go with Texas Rigged V & M's 9 Super Ringer because the wide tail will move more water; colors would be Red Shad or Tequila Sunrise

[Cory20]

Stephen,

Buzzbaits, chatterbaits, big spinnerbaits, horny toads, and 6"-7" senkos are all BIG fish baits.  Considering that you're fishing what I guess to be a small body of water that gets a lot of pressure, I think you need to scale down and slow down.  The Texas guys have listed some great baits, but I think you need to walk before you start running.  Catch em up on small worms before throwing the big ones.

These fish have grown up in dingy water and have had to find food in low visibility there whole lives.  I know this is kind of obvious, but I thought I should bring it up as the fish will not be affected as those that live in normally clear water that is suddenly muddied.  You don't necessarily need to throw the big baits for them to find them.

Always assume that the bass can see farther in stained water than you can.  You see 3, they see 5 etc.  Try black and blue, greenpumpkin with a chartreuse tail for softplastics.  

I think these should get you some action, slow down and let the fish find them.  

4" blk/blu tube, t-rigged or on a light jig head depending on the cover.

baby brush hog in green pumpkin cart. tails

weightless 4" or 5" slim senko, wacky or trigged depending on cover.

6" trick worm on a light jig head

Pick a target and really soak it before moving on.  Good luck

[jiggerpole]

I've had alot of luck in lilly pads with a trick worm. Zoom (marmalade), with a #2 offset shank hook. It seems to ride right over the pads good and you can let it sink right in front of their face.

[BackofHisSkeeter]

Here's what Ive tried and how it turned out:

-Buzzbaits, Chatterbaits, and Spinner baits with big colorado blades havent worked, but they stir up the fish in the tight pads and I can see the pads jerk about when they move. Its even easy to follow them around the pads that way-but once I stir them up, they wont bite when I present plastics to where I see them.

Ok What I hear is you are stirring up the Fish, they are just not biting. Try slowing down your retrieve just a  little.. You've got them looking..

Try these Zoom U tail, In Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin, Blueberry,  T rigged Anything Black with Chart Ring Tail puts me on the Bite. Try Zoom's new Gobie Fluke  rigged Drop shot in Natural.  Try a Senko weightless in pumpkin with Black. Keep trying the Spinner baits in White and Chart -- Just slow down  Good Luck and Good fishing.

[fishizzle]

if they aren't hittin senkos in the pads, the fish aren't bitin that day!!

some days even the best get skunked

[WRB]

The basics; reaction baits trigger strikes from active bass, slow soft plastics work well for bass that are neutral or less active and when bass are are in a negative mood, they don't react to anything you offer.

The key; located active bass by fishing in areas that bass feed.

I have long stopped bait fishing, however you may want to determine if the fish you see moving under the pads are bass and not carp, catfish, gar, pike or something other than bass. The easiest way to do that is fly line a big 8" night crawler. Collar hook the worm with a Gamakatsu weedless wide gape size 1 hook, no weight.

If the bass react to the night crawler, then you know for sure what you are dealing with and those bass are catchable. The best night crawler imitation is a nail weighted plastic worm wacky hooked with the same hook as the real worm. Cinnamon with blue neon works very well when bass are targeting real worms. Suggest Roboworm blue crawler or peoples worm in 7" straight tail. 3/32 oz lead or tungston nail weight inserted into the worm nose, cut about 1/4" off the worms nose to make a flat spot to insert the weight into. The flat spot allows the worm to stand up and float the tail upright, which helps to trigger strikes. The hook places about 2 1/2 inches back.

Don't remember if you tried a weedless frog? if not you should. Spro's Bronzeye frog a good choice; natural green. Cut the rubber strands to about 1 1/2 long, then 1/2 of those to about 3/4 long. Fish the frog in straight pops & pause until you reach open water pockets, then switch to a dog walking retrieve.

Give both of the above a full days workout; from dawn to dusk. Work the frog, then follow up with the worm until the bass react. Also try looking over your shoulder out to deepr water and try the dam area.

Those two presentations should work all summer. Good luck.

WRB

[Zel]

Can't tell you how to unlock the pattern, only to relay last weekends experience here. In NE PA it's post spawn, a time at our local lake that the bass tend to have lock jaw. My son-in-law always makes us hit the lily pad zone for an hour or two each trip. Our regular lures weren't working in the pads... senkos, ikas, frogs and T-worms. From experience, I tied on a 6 green pumpkin w/chart tail Lizard - carolina rigged (20 from the weight). I told him to slowly work the outside of the pads and any paths through the pads. It was the ticket! He then caught several bass on the rig and missed a bunch (it was his first time using the carolina rig, and I couldn't get him to utilize a sweeping hookset instead of his overhead hookset).

[little_stephen]

I own over 5,000.00 worth of tackle and I do not own a green popper, orange toads, pink shakey heads, or blue spinner baits. It tells me that your colors are off when a fish follows a bait(among other things).

haha. i meant the color represents the path i threw the lure... lol not the color of the lure.... lol

[little_stephen]

So in general what you guys are telling me seems good.....

sorry that the pictures didnt come up auto. i think theyre not loaded right.... heck if i know,. that would have cleared up some confusion....

for clarification. Im tossing big colorado bladed spinners because the water is nearly completely muddied. I did just buy a hart spinner with the doubble blade..... the one thats riveted together for Extra Thump...

Ill give the idea a try!    ill be sure to let you know!