help me catch a bass... =/

[irbombardmnt]

okay so still no luck, i went to a bait shop 15 minutes away from me and they were closed at 2pm and i was about an hour late (didnt know they would close so early) from there i went driving around and my friend and i found a reservoir. we covered atleast 1/3 of the bank and still no luck with bites. my friend used a buzzbait and i used a spinner. there was another kid fishing but he was just catching crappie with live bait. afterwards we decided to end the day at our regular lake and i caught 5 crappie in 5 minutes with a rooster tail :-/, no bass... im really tired of crappie and perch. although i did speak to a local and he said that he caught 1 bass with a trout lure the previous week and that hes getting nothing with his crankbait.

question: why are there so many crappie and no bass wherever i go?

UPDATE: came back from fishing the same lake on the riprap, once again caught a bunch of crappie and perch, no bass. there was a guy fishing by me and he was using a crankbait... he ended up with nothing.

[DINK WHISPERER]

okay so still no luck, i went to a bait shop 15 minutes away from me and they were closed at 2pm and i was about an hour late (didnt know they would close so early) from there i went driving around and my friend and i found a reservoir. we covered atleast 1/3 of the bank and still no luck with bites. my friend used a buzzbait and i used a spinner. there was another kid fishing but he was just catching crappie with live bait. afterwards we decided to end the day at our regular lake and i caught 5 crappie in 5 minutes with a rooster tail :-/, no bass... im really tired of crappie and perch. although i did speak to a local and he said that he caught 1 bass with a trout lure the previous week and that hes getting nothing with his crankbait.

question: why are there so many crappie and no bass wherever i go?

UPDATE: came back from fishing the same lake on the riprap, once again caught a bunch of crappie and perch, no bass. there was a guy fishing by me and he was using a crankbait... he ended up with nothing.

Get some Senkos and Rat-L-Traps and try again. If no luck, switch to a different pond/lake!

[irbombardmnt]

okay so still no luck, i went to a bait shop 15 minutes away from me and they were closed at 2pm and i was about an hour late (didnt know they would close so early) from there i went driving around and my friend and i found a reservoir. we covered atleast 1/3 of the bank and still no luck with bites. my friend used a buzzbait and i used a spinner. there was another kid fishing but he was just catching crappie with live bait. afterwards we decided to end the day at our regular lake and i caught 5 crappie in 5 minutes with a rooster tail :-/, no bass... im really tired of crappie and perch. although i did speak to a local and he said that he caught 1 bass with a trout lure the previous week and that hes getting nothing with his crankbait.

question: why are there so many crappie and no bass wherever i go?

UPDATE: came back from fishing the same lake on the riprap, once again caught a bunch of crappie and perch, no bass. there was a guy fishing by me and he was using a crankbait... he ended up with nothing.

Get some Senkos and Rat-L-Traps and try again. If no luck, switch to a different pond/lake!

yeah, i really want to try them out, hopefully il get to this weekend. i just found out that the reservoir i fished in is full of bass, i obviously am doing something wrong... just dunno what it is.

[InLikeFinz]

I have to agree with the Senko......gotta go with Senkos.

8-)

[roadwarrior]

i obviously am doing something wrong... just dunno what it is.

Not paying attention...

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

Spend some time in the BassResource Library, "Fishing Articles" and

"Tacklebox" at the top of the page. Read every article and go to every

link. Take notes and make a plan.

8-)

[Fishing Rhino]

i obviously am doing something wrong... just dunno what it is.

Not paying attention...

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

Spend some time in the BassResource Library, "Fishing Articles" and

"Tacklebox" at the top of the page. Read every article and go to every

link. Take notes and make a plan.

8-)

I was paying attention, and I am having no trouble catching bass.  It was a new technique to me, so I had to try it. It  does work very well.

It will not always be the most productive technique at any given time, but I can see where it may easily be the most consistent at putting bass in the boat, not to mention the most economical of all the suggestions.

The "KISS" method is usually the best method for starters.

Some are always determined to make things more complicated than necessary.

[irbombardmnt]

im 100% sure im paying attention, just that im not getting any hits.

[arul]

With all those panfish in there, I am sure Bass are there too.  Ditch the spinners for now and go with natural plastics.

From what you describe, you are just targeting the wrong species with your lures.  You want lures that mimic larger baitfish.  For your spinning rod, I would suggest 2 types of plastics.  Get a 5 inch "senko" type worm.  I like the YUM Dingers.  Next get a pack of Zoom Super Flukes.  If your water is on the clear side, get watermelon red flake or natural looking colors.  If the water is dirtier, go with a darker color like junebug, junebug red, or black/blue.

Each of these lures, rig Texasposed - check Youtube on how to do it if you don't know how.  Use a 4/0 Extra Wide gap offset hook.  Don't add any weight.

Just cast it out as far as you can, let it sink a few seconds.  Give it a few small twitches, and let it sink again.  Repeat, reeling in the slack.  You are sure to get bit- I bet on it...

let me know if you have questions.

FYI - I fish from the bank a lot and don't like throwing treble hooked stuff because it gets hung in the littoral grasses.

[irbombardmnt]

okay so I was finally able to get my hands on some senkos, but they did not get me any fish. i fished from two different sides of the lake; the riprap on the south side of the lake, and the north side of the lake (bluegill nests all over the bank). spent an hour each on both sides, got nothing, some nibles probably from the small fish, but no bass. i did exactly as told, cast it, wait it out for a while, move the rod up, and wait again. tried all along the bank and nothing at all. where the hell are all the bass? i even saw a broken branch sticking out of the water, tried it several times, nothing there. seriously why is it taking forever just to catch one?  :'(

[arul]

how big is the pond?  where in the country is it?  How deep can you cast out to?  What is the water clarity, and what colors you using?  Does the lake have any submerged vegetation in it?  Or is it just a sand pit?

Make sure to give your senko a few quick twitches, then let it die for a few seconds.  Just don't lift it up and let it fall like you would a ribbon tail.  That twitch, twitch, twitch, pause, makes it look like an injured baitfish.  You want it a little erratic, then it kind of shimmy's when it sinks like a dying fish.

[arul]

also- I just checked out the lake on local.live.com

I suspect you are fishing along Osbourne Terrace?  The problem I see with your lake on that south end is lack of shoreline cover.  If that rip rap doesn't extend into more than a few feet of water, and if there is no vegetation offshore, the bass are going to not have much to relate to.  Bass want to ambush their food, so they will hang out where they can hide.  

You might want to try that north end with those two narrow prongs.  That area would probably give more cover with all those trees along the bank, there are probably some decent submerged branches that have broken off (laydowns).

Try to find some submerged grassbeds, and you will find the bass.

[irbombardmnt]

also- I just checked out the lake on local.live.com

I suspect you are fishing along Osbourne Terrace? The problem I see with your lake on that south end is lack of shoreline cover. If that rip rap doesn't extend into more than a few feet of water, and if there is no vegetation offshore, the bass are going to not have much to relate to. Bass want to ambush their food, so they will hang out where they can hide.

You might want to try that north end with those two narrow prongs. That area would probably give more cover with all those trees along the bank, there are probably some decent submerged branches that have broken off (laydowns).

Try to find some submerged grassbeds, and you will find the bass.

thanks arul, when i was there yesterday i got nothing from the north side of the lake. i saw tons of bluegill nests but no bass around. there was a submerged branch of a tree and i tried there a couple times and got nothing out of it. i also tried along the left prong and there was nothing, i saw a few spread out bluegill nests tho. btw, the bottom of the two prongs is covered with leaves while the area outside the prongs is just sand w/ no vegitation.

[arul]

Have you ever heard of a bass being caught in there? If there is one, then there are plenty of others in there somewhere...

If I lived up in NJ, I would gladly go check it out with you, because it sounds like a fun mystery to crack...  but alas, I am in Florida.  Try the corners of the south side rip rap-  Looks like there might be some outfalls or culverts there, which I always like to target.  Try to cast that senko a good 100 ft. from shore and count to 30 before you start working it back, so you are sure it is getting down deep enough.

Now that I see that water, a Lipless Crankbait, might be a decent Idea to throw around so that you can find where that submerged grass is (if there is any).  Toss that around and try to find some grass with it too...

[J-B]

You could also try an old favorite...1/4 oz or 1/2 oz Little Gorge. I have caught quite few bass on those using silver, black and silver or black +white and orange. You should use these in the deeper areas of the lake, they sink like a rock and hook on to anything they pass.  I also agree with many others that rubber worms and rattle traps are great.

[Big Phish]

check your private messages.  i live maybe 10 minutes from the lake your talking about.  i'd be glad to help you out.

[arul]

If you guys get together and check it out, PM me and let me know how it goes...