I have a challange, its personal now too...

[bigbill]

I figured i would go out and practice my presentations today and just sit and relax.

I fish a local lake once every so often with no success whats so ever. Its got plenty of baitfish/panfish in it. Now my problem is I watch something really big going after the baitfish within my range of casting from shore. Its really long and i watch it try to turn in very big circles. We have northern pike going from lake to lake that are connected by streams and this place is one of the lastones that are connected. I'm thinking its a very big pickerel or a northern pike or maybe a monster LMB. This fish charges the weeds ambushing the baitfish all the time for the past few years now.

Today i threw every large bait that i had with no success. I tossed larger spooks, topnockers and large torpedo's trying to get a rise out of it with no success. I used a ton of scent too. I even tossed the larger spro crankbaits too. I'm stumped with this fish.

I know its big because its smart. I could see the baitfish jumping out of the water behind my topnocker/spooks far behind so i know its following my lure but its not striking. I tried every presentation i could think of. My presentations were so good and perfect i would strike my lure. I got it down when it comes to spooks, topnockers and torpedo's. BB

I had my 7' pole with 17lb test and the magnum spook in bullfrog 8" but i was afraid to toss it. I also have a 9" trout swimbait too.

Anythoughts???

I've done this before at two other places at 5am when the fish were just out of my reach from shore. I waited for months everydau watching them tear up the lilly pads until they were finally within my reach with a topnocker. One was a 30" pickerel and the other was a 6lb 1oz bass. But as i had the 6lb bass in my hand the lilly pads were still being torn up by another big bass. This place is another lake i visit every so often.

Shore fishing can be a waiting game too when they don't allow boats.  I'm all fired up now.

[J Francho]

A big jig, with a soft swimbait or a 10" black worm as a trailer, deadsticked right under its nose should do it, if its a northern.  Standoffish northerns respond well to jigs.

[5bass]

Super fluke

[WRB]

Get yourself a kayak or tube and go out to where the fish are active. Why stay shore bound?

Your trout swimbait would be better if it's a baby bass color. Also try a Lunker Punker.

A slip bobber rig and large live night crawler should get bit, you can add enough weight to cast it a long distance.

WRB

[Avalonjohn44]

Bow and arrow...

[dmac14]

Spinnerbait. The dang things keep breaking mine

[Hook Set]

I caught a bunch of Northern Pike in Canada throwing a big buzzbait, I think it just ticked them off.

If it is in fact a Pike, you might want to think about a wire leader, with those teeth, regular line stands no chance!

[bigbill]

I was determined today to at least catch something there. I started out late at 9am with a mister twister top prop in tri alive fire perch. I had a decent topwater strike and miss on my very first cast near the cattails. I have no clue as to why the trailer hook didn't pick it up. After a few more casts with no results I switched to my old faithful topnocker. I tried every presentation and even making it dive and swim and to my surprise right at the shoreline a 3lb smallie tried to rip it off my line. Not the bigger fish i'm seeing and trying to get but its a start that i'm going in the right direction. It feels good at a new place were i never caught anything yet. That mister twister top prop is another good topwater bait too. I have had ballastic strikes on the top prop when i let it pause and it stands straight up. Or a slow reel, or a slow reel and pause they just seem to try to kill it. I say new place but i been trying there for 5 years like 1 or 2 trips per year there with no results. I need to settle down and fish instead of gunning and running from small place to small place. I need to spend more time there. BB

I'm going back with the worm box next. I also have an assortment of the mister twister super top props repainted by Terry Clark Custom lures in all the bass colors. They look too good to fish with but i'll try them too. I'm figuring if the bigger bass eat sunfish maybe the larger lures will attract the bigger gals. Big Bait Big Fish???

I been hunting for a new state record but enjoying the fishing as i go too. I'm up to 10lbs LMB so far but i've seen bigger fish. I won't report it because it will draw too much attention to the body of water were i caught it. I also don't like to tell anyone were i fish too. They tell there friends and it goes on till the place is ruined. But overall in the few places were i fish i've seen bigger bass way over 10lbs. So i'm thinking there are bigger bass in every body of water and there not being caught. These aren't 9am to 5pm tornie feeders. We need to fish from the evenings till the early am for the big gals and be very stealthy(quiet).

[bigbill]

Get yourself a kayak or tube and go out to where the fish are active. Why stay shore bound?

Your trout swimbait would be better if it's a baby bass color. Also try a Lunker Punker.

A slip bobber rig and large live night crawler should get bit, you can add enough weight to cast it a long distance.

WRB

We have very big snapping turtles here some are 4' in the shell diameter.  I'm rather face down my 140lb female rottie than a snapper.  So those float tubes really scare me.

[00 mod]

Big Bill

I'm not sure where you are from, but if live bait(shiners) are legal, and you see these "big fish" chasing bait fish, why wouldn't you try fishing with what they are chasing! Of course not bluegill but shiners.....

Jeff

PS> post pictures when you catch one

[culprit71]

Northern pike like big spoons or big inline spinners. Throw a big shiny cleo or a red and white devil with a steel leader.

Then let us know what you catch it on so we can find out who had the right answer.