Help!! In Need Of Instruction

[BassBoy10]

Hello bass fisherman, im new to the sport and need help. I've been fishing the local neighborhood lake and havent come up with much. I have access to a canoe and the lake. Please help, all thoughts GREATLY appreciated!

[Missouribassman95]

Wacky rigged senks.

[Traveler2586]

BB, Try the "Article's" section of the forum. Look for the green bar at the top of the forum page, on the left is "Article's"; the first subject in there is for beginners.

[sdoug805]

Hello bass fisherman, im new to the sport and need help. I've been fishing the local neighborhood lake and havent come up with much. I have access to a canoe and the lake. Please help, all thoughts GREATLY appreciated!

+1 on the wacky rigged senkos, there's a lot of great information on this site on how to rig and fish them. I like to fish suspending jerk baits this time of year in the cold water until the lilly pads start to come in, and then it's top water frog time for me.

If you're not sure where to look for the bass, you can't go wrong with fishing structure. Look for downed trees, wood poking up out of the water etc. Weed beds provide great cover for bass. It can be tricky fishing weed beds at first, texas rigged worms are a good way to work weed beds. A great and simple lure for fishing weed beds also is the johnson silver minnow. I like to fish a half ounce one with a 4 inch swimming grub as a trailer. Can't go wrong with it, just a simple slow retrieve and don't let it sink.

[scrutch]

Wacky rigged senkos can be a nightmare for a beginner unless you are using a weedless hook. For you to succeed, it is really important that you spend as much time in the articles and FAQ's sections of this site. There is more information there than you can imagine. Do exactly what some of those articles tell you and then come here and post some of your questions for us to help you out. Good luck! Looking forward to reading some of your results!

[Nitrofreak]

BB, Try the "Article's" section of the forum. Look for the green bar at the top of the forum page, on the left is "Article's"; the first subject in there is for beginners.

X2

Lot's of great info to help you out.

If you want us to help you out, we need some help from you, more info about the body of water and what you are using to fish with will give us what we need to give you better advice.

You can't go wrong with a T-Rigged worm for starters, when you look at the water, how dark or clear is it, this will help you with the color you need to use, the darker the water, the darker the bait should be.

Don't rush yourself, take the time to fish the bait, slow action type twitches will get their attention.

[Traveler2586]

If you want us to help you out, we need some help from you, more info about the body of water and what you are using to fish with will give us what we need to give you better advice.

You can't go wrong with a T-Rigged worm for starters, when you look at the water, how dark or clear is it, this will help you with the color you need to use, the darker the water, the darker the bait should be.

Don't rush yourself, take the time to fish the bait, slow action type twitches will get their attention.

X2

Look to the shoreline or weed-line for clues as to how the bottom drops off; if you see wood in the water near a drop-off-thats good. Read about structure fishing and also how the weather affects the fish.

Learn what the bottom is like around the shoreline; get as long of a pole as you can safely handle in your boat and probe the bottom to see what it's made of, is it muck ~~ is it hard ____ is it sand & gravel . Bass will spawn on hard, rocky, or S&G this time of year.

Ask someone in charge of the lake or pond if there is a map and what type of forage (bait-fish, crayfish, etc) is in the lake.

Read something about Bass fishing every night just before going to sleep, it's relaxing, and will give you good dreams

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Look for a post from Roadwarrior re: pond fishing. It's a good starting point. Basically slowly drag a senko and fat Ika along the bottom parallel to the bank at increasing depths. If no bites come after coving it well, look for new water.

[Traveler2586]

Also, Learn to fish a lure well, learn how it works, how it feels, how to clear a snag, etc. Same thing for your rod & reel combo.

Pick something, a worm, a jig. a crank, a spinner, whatever, and go fishing; leave everything else at home; learn that bait.

Next time out try another bait - but only that bait. Sometimes you can get so hung up on what lure, what color, what location, you can loose the joy of fishing and not learn anything in the process.

[BassBoy10]

Thanks guys. went out today and caught myself 4 largemouth with a rapala shad. Had a great time, this is defiantly my sport

[scrutch]

Thanks guys. went out today and caught myself 4 largemouth with a rapala shad. Had a great time, this is defiantly my sport

You may not realize it yet, but YOU'RE the one who's been hooked! You will never be the same! Let me introduce you to a lil guy called the bait monkey!

[NBR]

BB10,

Hard to give you specific advise to a general question. We don't know where you live, do you fish streams or lakes, are the lakes man made or natural do you have a boat? If you live in the deep south bass have probably spawned where I live the ice is not off of some lakes and the bass are most likely still in their winter time deep haunts and pretty sluggish.

Traveler 2586 is right on. Provided with a little more informtion the guys here are likely to provide you with over kill of information.

[BassBoy10]

I went out today and choked a largemouth with a craw. I couldnt get it out and its happened a couple times now. Is their a better way to try and get it out?

[Michael DiNardo]

Fish in the evening, use a black Jitterbug and reel it slowly around the shoreline, near wood, near weeds, near any cover. If this fails find new water.

Mike

[sdoug805]

I went out today and choked a largemouth with a craw. I couldnt get it out and its happened a couple times now. Is their a better way to try and get it out?

I de-barb my hooks for catch and release fishing. It makes hook removal a lot easier, especially with treble hooks. A good pair of long nose pliers are also an essential piece of equipment to have on the water with you. They make hook removal much easier, and trust me if you catch something with teeth you'll be happy you have them

[Crestliner2008]

Do you own a cat? Or know someone that does? Take a 3' stick, tie a 3' length of twine on it and play with the cat. Watch it's action and responses to any subtle movement you do. That's just about what a bass is like. Once you envision this behavior, replicate it with any lure you are using. You will start taking your share of decent bass in no time.

[200racing]

I went out today and choked a largemouth with a craw. I couldnt get it out and its happened a couple times now. Is their a better way to try and get it out?

sounds like they are getting to much time to swallow the bait

beside trying to feel your bites,keep your line tight and watch it closely for any movement or taps.

[redboat]

Wacky rigged senks.

Diitto. Here's a pic of a 10-6 my wife caught on one a couple years back: http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g200/pscarbor/JoysBass.jpg

[Traveler2586]

sounds like they are getting to much time to swallow the bait

beside trying to feel your bites,keep your line tight and watch it closely for any movement or taps.

X2

If you care about the stress your placing on the fish, and don't care for the struggle of getting a hook out, and want an extra fishing challegn - take a pair of plires and flatten the barb of the hook - then keep repeating in your mind what 200racing suggested.

[JustinRichter]

I live in wisconsin , and fish lots of ponds rivers and streams, my best advice i can give is carolina rig 8'' salamanders ( i choose lots of different greens and browns) toss em in some thick , the slop , the stuff you normally wouldnt and just let it sit, then drag it across the bottom on a slow crawl.

[scrutch]

I really don't want to come off sounding like a naysayer here but I think it's important to know... Although Carolina rigging is a very good way to catch fish, I would be slow to recommend it to a beginner. Carolina rigging is something that you need to be a little polished at detecting subtle strikes. The way it is rigged makes it more difficult to detect the strike. If you don't detect it right away, you will be pulling a lot more hooks that are swallowed deeply in the gullet. Remember to keep the slack out of your line as much as possible.

[redboat]

I went out today and choked a largemouth with a craw. I couldnt get it out and its happened a couple times now. Is their a better way to try and get it out?

You're probably not setting the hook. Once you learn to do that you won't gut hook as many. It is something of an art: Keep your line relatively tight, meaning no slack in it. You usually either feel a "tap, tap" or the line (small bass) just feels heavy (larger bass). When you feel the taps the fish will take it in a second or two; when you feel that jerk real hard up and back. Jerk as soon as it feels heavy.

You will learn to tell the difference between dragging over structure and the "heavy" feel in time, but remember: hook sets are free, if you jerk and there's nothing on you haven't lost anything.

Also, an octopus hook will help keep the fish from swallowing it so deep.