Having some trouble...

[Carp Adiem]

Well, really, its not trouble, but annoying.

I've been on the water three times in the last four days and can't find fish. I was out for four hours today with not a nibble and the same late last night when I was on the same body of water. I'm fishing structure, any grass or timber that I can find, switching lures at each spot, every 40 minutes or so. Still, no luck.

Any tips?

I know that I might not be doing everything I need to, but I've recently come over to bass from bluegill and am trying to learn as much as I can. Any help would be appreciated.

[Shad_Master]

Well, I don't know that I can solve your dilema - been there/done that many times myself - but what the old boys keep telling me this time of year is to go deep - you mentioned fishing all the cover you can find - it by "find" you mean see with your eyes, you may want to "look" for cover you can't see - brush piles, grass edges, etc. down around the channel or in deeper pockets.  Fish these areas with T-rigged worms (june bug is a good summer color) or jigs - if that don't work, it will at least get you that much closer to fall  

[Carp Adiem]

Thanks. I'm land bound, so its a bit more difficult to get to the good deeper water. Most of what I get is around 5/6ft. Not much deeper. But when it goes deep, there really isn't much underwater cover out there. A lot has been sunk near the shore, but the reservoir I fish is pretty low at the moment. All of that good stuff is sitting next to me on the dirt.

I'll definitely keep trying. Had a hook-up with a 9" lmb the other day. It was my first since I started targeting them. Hopefully they get a little bit bigger and start coming a bit more frequently. I'm pretty excited to find some good fish.

[12eal1ty]

If your not getting any bass and your trying that hard I'd probably see if there is a local guide to give you some pointers on hot spots.

[WRB]

What type of lures or bait are you using and what type of tackle; rod,  reel & line?

WRB

[grimlin]

Thanks. I'm land bound, so its a bit more difficult to get to the good deeper water. Most of what I get is around 5/6ft. Not much deeper. But when it goes deep, there really isn't much underwater cover out there. A lot has been sunk near the shore, but the reservoir I fish is pretty low at the moment. All of that good stuff is sitting next to me on the dirt.

I'll definitely keep trying. Had a hook-up with a 9" lmb the other day. It was my first since I started targeting them. Hopefully they get a little bit bigger and start coming a bit more frequently. I'm pretty excited to find some good fish.

I'm in the same situation as you. I tend to go light,smaller and slow down.

[Catt]

If possible wade out to about knee thigh deep this opens a whole lot of new water

[Under the Radar]

As said before, slooowwww down. In the summer, it may take me 4-5 minutes to retrieve one cast with a weightless senko, fluke or anything else fished on the bottom. Trust me 4-5 minutes is a loooong time.

Have fished a local 20 acre lake for about 4 yrs now and it is constantly changing it's personality, Got skunked 4 evenings in a row. Then I slowed down and started catching again.

Good luck.

[tnbassfisher]

If possible wade out to about knee thigh deep this opens a whole lot of new water

Possibly some of the best info someone could have given for you being shore bound.

[SammyLee]

"If possible wade out to about knee thigh deep this opens a whole lot of new water"

"Possibly some of the best info someone could have given for you being shore bound."

Good advice. Or get a float tube. It's opened up lots and lots of water for me. Never the less, I told one of my semi-pro friends, "Stay away from me! I've got the skunk stink!" I've caught one small LMB in the last 9 days. I'll usually catch at least 20 in nine days. At least I didn't see children dragging em in on top of me like I have on some other skunk days.

ps I don't know if he is supersticious but he stayed the heck away!

[Fishing Rhino]

I just started messing around with ShakE2 jig heads.  You can use almost any plastic on them, but finesse worms, trick worms and fluke type plastics work really well.

They cast like a bullet, come in different weights, and you have two options for rigging.  There is a bait holding barb on the shank of the hook at the jig head, and another at the jig head which is aimed at the point of the hook.

You can fish it very slowly, short twitches with pauses, and occasional short hauls of a foot or so.

Experiment with various retrieves 'til you find what the fish want, then repeat it.

There are also wacky jig heads which have a slender wire to make them (somewhat) weedless.

You can fish any of these very slowly, encouraging the lethargic fish to strike.

I read a couple of articles about using the technique, and I am very pleased with the results I got from trying them.  My results should improve with practice and my technique improves.

http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0330-shakey.html

http://www.insideline.net/weeklynews/2009/09-0415.html

[Carp Adiem]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Went out again after work tonight. No luck. I figure I'm using the wrong tackle. I've got a recycled rod and reel. Both of them are previously used. I think my reel is an old Daiwa, and the rod is a Storm Thunderstick. I think. Line is 10# Trilene. As for lures and bait, I've used several of the Gulp! plastics, a locally made jig, a topwater crankbait and another that goes 3-5 feet. Most everything is rigged weedless and I've been taking about two minutes per retrieve. Maybe this will help with the diagnosis.

I recently caught a 9" lmb, in the same general area I've fished the past few times and been skunked, on the jig. Its just not been happening lately. Oh well, back out tomorrow.

[Lynx]

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Here's a couple of tips that might help you out.

I live in Sacramento, California, right now the Bass are in a suspended state: Which Means:

AT THIS TIME OF YEAR ON THE WEST COAST, BASS ARE IN SPAWN & POST SPAWN MODE: WHICH MEANS THEY ARE GOING TO BE ON REACTION STRIKES. THE BEST THING TO DO IN THIS CASE IS TO SET YOUR LURE IN FRONT OF THE BASS & BRING IT TO THEM. LESS EFFORT FOR THE BASS MEANS MORE FISH. THIS TIME OF YEAR ITS ALL ABOUT SENKOS, & SPINNER BAITS. (MATCH THE COLOR OF YOUR BAITS TO THE CLEARITY OF THE WATER).

SPAWNING (POST) = SHALLOW WATERS & HEAVY COVER. AN OFF-SET HOOK RIGGED WEEDLESS W/ A WATERMELON SENKO (DEAD-STICKING) WORKS GREAT.

2 MORE TIPS:

LARGEMOUTH BASS LIKE SHALLOW WATER W/ HEAVY COVER (BANKS, TREE'S, LILYS).

SMALLMOUTH BASS LIKE DEEPER WATER W/ DROP OFF'S, ROCK BEDS, SLOPS.

SPOTTED (BLACK) BASS LIKE DEEPER WATER YET (CENTER OF A POND, LAKE, ETC), W/ COVER SUCH AS GRASS & ROCKS.

FISH ARE LIKE US WHEN IT'S HOT OUTSIDE & THE SUN IS DIRECTLY ABOVE, WE FIND COVER, SO DO THEY. THEY'LL ALSO WILL DO THIS BY GOING INTO DEEPER WATERS. YOU CAN CATCH BASS WHEN IT'S HOT OUTSIDE, 75% OF THE TIME THERE NOT GOING TO CHASE IT (BAITS) (WHEN IT'S LIKE A DESERT OUTSIDE) IT'S GOING TO BE WHEN YOUR BAIT OR LURE SUSPENDS.

REMEMBER: LOCATION, PRESENTATION, & CONDITIONS ARE ALL A FACTOR.

I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU IN CATCHING THE "BIG KAHUNA."

[BlueDaksi]

When the bite shut down for me this weekend, I picked up that the bass were sticking to the bottom in cover in the main lake body and that I would have to get the bait right in front of their noses.  So, after drop-shotting unsuccessfully in deeper water, I went to a new location in the small inlet channel.  I surmised that in the warmer and shallower water, the bass would still be on the bottom because of the post-frontal pattern, but that in a confined space I had a better chance of getting my bait closer to them.  I surmised correctly!  I'm not saying that I found the only answer to catching fish on Sunday, but it was AN answer and worked out for me.  Good luck!

[Carp Adiem]

We had a bit of luck today. Not anywhere close to a banner day, but the girlfriend hooked into an 8" and a 14" lmb. It was good to have someone around finally put a hook into something, but I wish I could have had a few hook-ups. I switched over to crappie/bluegill later in the afternoon and had some luck, but the bass seem to be hanging in areas I can't get to with a degree of accuracy or speed. We worked about 300 feet of shore for four hours today. The lake we were on is known or largemouth, but I think they're suspending off downed timber. There are some sunken logs and trees, but they're out in the middle of this lake. No luck getting there. Saw some guys in a jon boat having a good day in that area.

We might be going out in the AM again. The lady friend got a taste of what bassin' is like and doesn't want to go back to bluegill. I knew it would happen.

[BlueDaksi]

If you can swing it, you might consider getting a fishing kayak.  Some decent models start at around $300 and they're great for getting at fish that you can't access from shore or by larger boat.  That's what I do!