Best Lures For Pressured Lakes.

[BassAssassin726]

My home lake and the lakes around me get a nice amount of pressure. Im tired of getting skunked. Any suggestions for lures to use on these pressured lakes? Ive thrown everything, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, crankbaits, lipless cranks, Senkos, in line spinners, jerkbaits, i mean ive tried everything. So whats everyones go to when the fish become weary of lures? Brands? Colors?

[Clint C.]

I'm in the same situation a lot. I think I get skunked 8/10 times.

The things that work best for me are wacky rigged senkos and 4.5" slug-gos (weightless t-rig).

I've been told to slow down a lot, and when I think it's slow enough go even slower. Also been told to try down-sizing my lures.

For some reason I think on high pressured lakes the fish really like a slow falling weightless lure.

[Hamby]

Just try throwing something that isn't often thrown and a bit different from the usual tactics. A friend of mine rants about swim jigs all the time. I was confident that the d**n things couldn't work better than a good old pitching jig around docks. I was wrong. The fish in my lake rarely see a swim jig under docks and that made all the difference.

[J Francho]

My home lake and the lakes around me get a nice amount of pressure. Im tired of getting skunked. Any suggestions for lures to use on these pressured lakes? Ive thrown everything, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, crankbaits, lipless cranks, Senkos, in line spinners, jerkbaits, i mean ive tried everything. So whats everyones go to when the fish become weary of lures? Brands? Colors?

Two things. One these are all moving baits. Have you tried a Texas rigged worm or a jig and craw trailer? Maybe a T-rigged creature bait?

Second, are you sure you are on fish?

[slaynbass365]

weightless flukes, swim jigs, shakey-heads, and frogs if you've got appropriate cover. One thing I rarely ever see anyone throwing around here is a frog, and I am able to catch decent fish with em.

[senile1]

Make sure you are fishing where the fish are first. Check the following thread out, especially the part regarding how a bass doesn't seem to become conditioned to plastic worms. I'm not sure why this would be but I have read it in a few articles. Try a very slow, finesse presentation with a worm and see what happens. Or you could try something that is unique and the bass haven't seen before.

Other things to keep in mind are to avoid bumping the sides and bottom of the boat, and to avoid being seen by the fish. Anything you do that could spook the fish should be avoided.

[BassAssassin726]

Well i fish from the bank 100% of the time. Aside from the occasional renting of a boat. Ive thrown everything. Yes ive tried texas rigging worms and creatures. And ive tried working them as slow as slow can go. lol. Today was my first attempt at using a topwater frog. Got to this new spot at a new lake. From the bank maybe about 30 yards out were tons of lily pads. I threw that frog at the edge and into the pads and nothing. Threw spinnerbaits, cranks, in line spinners, texas and wacky rigged worms, a buzzbait, all in various colors and nada. I knew there was fish there i could see lots of action on the surface and i figure the edge of a lily pad bed is as good a place as ever to try and fish. Even at my home lake i move around and walk the banks, treck through the woods to secluded spots, i move around. Im def not the guy in one spot all day. And still i cant catch and ********** fish lately.

[Glenn]

Tube jigs and hair jigs to the rescue!

[WRB]

Fishing from shore reduces the lake to a casting distance from shore around the lake where 90% of the fisherman fish with boats. This also means you are fishing up hill most of the time.

There is an old saying in bass fishing that is worth considering; spring up, fall down. This discribes the direction the bass and prey are moving during these time periods.

Fishing from shore is difficult, you can only fish water you can get to from land. Have you considered a kayak or float tube?

My advice; put all your tackle away except your worm rod.

Learn to fish the Texas rigged worm, finesse or standard Carolina rigs, split shot rig, the drop shot rig is difficult from shore, except in the spring.

Use high floatation worms, worms that can float the tail sitting still.

You will catch more bass from shore fishing with soft plastic then all the other lures combined.

Divide the lake into 1/3rds; dam area, middle area and upper end. Start at the dam area, deeper water is better during cold water periods, then work the middle area. These areas are easier to fish soft plastics from shore. During the spring the upper end should be good, summer the upper and middle areas. The dam area usually has some bass yeat around, except during the spawn.

Tom

[Clint C.]

Hey Glenn,

do you like to texas rig your tube baits or regular jig rig?

[Jigfishn10]

I shore fish a lot and tubes and jigs have saved the day. Lately C-rigged 3 1/2" tubes have really produced well on both pressured lakes and cold fronts. I'm not saying that the c-rig was a cure all, but it helps me from blanking.

[Nick]

You saw fish activity, but it might not have been bass activity. Lot's of other species frolic about. First, do other anglers consistently catch fish from this lake? If so, try to get them to talk to you. I'm thinking it's just not that much of a fish factory.

On some places that I fish, I feel great with 3 bass over the course of 6 hours, while at others, it's a good day to catch 30-40 in the same amount of time.

I've also fished in tributaries and even ponds where the catch will vary drastically from year to year.

[Glenn]

Hey Glenn,

do you like to texas rig your tube baits or regular jig rig?

That depends on what I'm fishing. The more weeds and wood around, the more likely I will use a Texas rig; conversely the less things there are to snag, the more I'm apt to use an open-hook jig.

[Chuck Cooper]

This is a tough one. Lots of good advice in the thread. For my two cents I'd say the earlier or later you can get on the water the better. Stealth is very important from the shore. You can spook fish that are in the shallows when you approch snapping twigs and stepping heavy. Always sneak up on the shore, and gently drop a worm in when you get a few feet from the edge when you come to a new spot. And go with a worm. W rigged, T rigged or C rigged, SLOW i mean one cast should take you 5 minutes to stitch it back in. Try a worm with a tail that floats on a shaky jig if it's not too rocky. If you water is pretty stained try brighter color worms. Nose hook or wacky hook a floating worm and twitch it on the surface. Find the weed edges and any structure, rocks and fallen trees, drop offs. But before all that you need to be confidant that there are Bass there. Always talk to other fishermen and ask them if they've had any luck. If a guy knows that water chances are he'll give you some useful information. Good Luck

[Edgy]

I'm in the same situation a lot. I think I get skunked 8/10 times.

The things that work best for me are wacky rigged senkos and 4.5" slug-gos (weightless t-rig).

I've been told to slow down a lot, and when I think it's slow enough go even slower. Also been told to try down-sizing my lures.

For some reason I think on high pressured lakes the fish really like a slow falling weightless lure.

YES!!! WACKY RIGGED SENKOS! To be honest those are my secret weapon at the lake i fish. I am always trying to use something different to learn more and enhance my presentation skills. But if all fails i tie on a small size 2 octopus hook with a 5" tiki stik, or dinger, and sometimes the yamamoto and usally catch a fish or two before i have to leave. I used these so i don't go home with no fish caught.

[WRB]

Don't believe a magic hot lure is the panacea to solving your problems. Lures come and go; todays hot lures are tomorrows clearence items.

Believe in mastering a few lure types and presentations that work well from fishing the shoreline and determine where the bass are located. Soft plastics work everywhere, year around. The presentation or rigging technique allows you to fish where the bass are located without snagging or hanging up all the time. If you present a soft plastic worm, craw, tube, senko or creature to bass, they will strike it often enough that you should be able to catch them.

Colors; too many choices available to suggest, ask around the local tackle shops.

Tom

[flippin4it.]

T-rig a tube, C-rigging a black Magnum Finnese worm or a Fat Ika weightless..

[Khong Y.]

My home lake and the lakes around me get a nice amount of pressure. Im tired of getting skunked. Any suggestions for lures to use on these pressured lakes? Ive thrown everything, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, crankbaits, lipless cranks, Senkos, in line spinners, jerkbaits, i mean ive tried everything. So whats everyones go to when the fish become weary of lures? Brands? Colors?

You're probably getting skunked because you're not throwing the bait to the right area. You've notice that Pro's always study the map of the lakes before they fish right. Do some research and study like they do too. Season, temp, time, wind, etc.... all have a play on how successful you will be.

[dale]

Lake Nockamixon, Deleware River, I see are your favorite places to fish both are good fishing areas but are extremely liminited to where the fish locate or feed. I have been fishing them for years and you are lucky to limit out with a boat let alone from the bank.

If I were you I would try joining a club I fish division 9 American bass Anglers on the delaware river bunch of good sticks there who could teach you some Areas to fish on the river.

 

[BassThumb]

Tubes, Senkos, jigs, light Texas rigs, shakyhead worms, and dropshot are all good options.

On the most pressured, difficult lakes I fish, many times the best fish are caught with a jigworm. On spinning tackle and light line, I use a 4-5" finesse worm or Senko threaded onto a 1/8-3/16 oz darter head or ball head jig fished gently over the top and around the edges of the weedbeds in about 4-8' of water. I fish them slow, just fast enough to keep the bait from bogging down in the weeds. You want them to hang in the weed tops once in a while, so they can ripped free of the weed tops. This triggers strikes from followers and disinterested fish.

[MuffinMan]

Keel-Weighted Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in Sprayed Grass color