Bassin' USA - Bass Fishing Forum Archives

Hello guys/gals,
Its been a while since ive posted!! Well im back and have a question for the staff, or anyone who can answer for that matter. Lately ive been fishing at a community lake when i cant make it out to pleasant. Its a community lake, but has smaller ponds that are separated from eachother and is stocked with plenty largemouth, cats and carp. The question is, i have tried everything in my tacklebox, including top waters, jigs, spinners and even some anchovies and blood bait. The first time i fished here, a gentleman told me to use hot dogs. I used them and believe it or not, i caught about 6 cats and a largemouth within 3 hours. I have been out there plenty of times now, and i cant seem to get a bite on anything. I can see tons of largemouth, but they dont seem to respond to anything. Is it possible that since they arent in a "real" lake that they arent hitting, or is it probably my presentation? I know thats a hard question to answer, but im just wondering if they will act different than those in your typical {enter acres here}lake. Thanks, and i will gladly answer any questions about equipment and so fourth that make this easier to answer. Mike

Mike, start by down sizing your baits and gear if you can, I love to fish with micro baits like smaller jigs, smaller road runners, smaller senkos ect.. It's the same thing we do when our lake has alot of fishing pressure. Down size your line or change to a spinning rod and reel to use that smaller line and baits.

So start with that first, Next I will always try to match the hatch of the lake or pound that I'm fishing, so if there are alot of sunfish catch one or two and try to find a bait that looks really just like it such as a small crankbait or even a swim bait,same works really well with crawfish, roll over some rocks and catch one, take a look at the colors and size again, then match a small jig that really comes close to the colors of that crawfish. You will watch your catch rate climb fast.

Give these a try and see if you can catch some fish that way. Sometimes when the fishing slows you have to change with them be open to try all types of lures and baits, you might be surprised it works for me everyday when I have to put my clients on fish no matter what the conditions are like.

Good Luck and let us know if this works for you..

Capt. Don

Hey, thanks a lot. Definately will be trying these suggestions! Im going back tomorrow so ill let ya know. And i have noticed an over abundance of shad and sunfish, so ill try and catch one to really see what they look like. Im not so sure that there are crawfish, but i do have a few in the box in case i find one. I am currently using 10 lb test on a spinning rod and reel, so that will be the first thing i down size. Do you suggest something like a 4 or 6 lbs test? Thanks again for the help, and im sure my catch rate will be going up!! Im pretty new to using lures, i always used live bait, but im trying to get better with them!! Thanks, Mike

Hello Again Firefighter28... This is driving you crazy, isn't it? I have encountered a similar situation at a man made pond near my home. In this pond there is an over abundance of forage and I have come to realize that the bass are simply engorged most of the time. I have also observed that there seems to be specific times when these bass get active and it only lasts for a short while. For example, every day, these bass get active between 10:30am and 11:00am and will remain active until around 12:30pm the latest. As a test, I have made a point to try fishing this pond at different times of the day (and night) to see how their activity level varies throughout a 24 hr period. There were two very specific feeding windows that these bass were using. The one I mentioned above and another later at night. If I focused on fishing during these times of day/night, I had much better success than at any other time. At other times, it would not be uncommon to get skunked either.

Your pond may have this same issue, or possibly another… either way, you should try to find their feeding window by varying the times that you go to this pond until you determine their peek time for feeding. They have to eat, so you can catch them… By fishing during the peak times, you will greatly increase your chances for success.
Now you are still faced with another challenge… what should you use to catch these line shy bass? I have only one suggestion… “Ultra-light” I’ll share one of my all time deadliest techniques for picking off stubborn bass from small ponds… You will need the following:
- Med-Light/Ultra Light power rod with a fast action. Basically a small worming rod with some back bone.
- A comparable reel to match the rod. You will need to be able to cast 1/8 ounce with the rod you choose.
- 6lb. test Berkley Trilene XT in Low-Vis green
- 3” Slug-Go (Black, or silver shad
- #1 Gamikatsu Offset worm hook (NO WEIGHT)

Presentation: Make long cast and simply allow the Slug-Go fall on slack line (slack line is a must!) Do Not move the Slug-Go, simply let it fall to the bottom and sit there. DON’T MOVE IT! Watch your line and do not set the hook until the line start swimming away (this is critical to ensure consistent hook ups). If you do not catch a bass on a the fall or after the Slug-Go was allowed to sit for 10-15 seconds… reel it in and make another cast to a different area repeating the process. It’s nothing fancy, but it is truly deadly! I caution you “Once you are successful using this technique, there is no turning back” and you will become a Mini-Slug-Go-Junkie forever!
Let me know how many you catch your first time trying this. Make sure you do not substitute or change any aspect of this system. Every piece is important (and for a reason).
Good Luck, I hope this helps to solve your dilemma!

Brendan

Thanks Brendan, helpful as usual! And yes it is making me pull my hair out!! Dont get me wrong, a bad day fishin beats a good day of anything else, but im going mad!! I am using and ultra light power rod and reel to match, and im pretty sure i have said line, but i definately need to pick up the slug-go and hooks. It sounds great, and i might not get to try it tomorrow, but definately later this week. I would go back to pleasant, but it costs money, and its a trip to get there, so i frequent this pond, and its great! As far as observing the feeding window, i am going earlier tomorrow than usual, and unfortunately this place is closed up after i believe 11p due to safety precautions i guess. But ill try and nail em earlier in the am, but ill be there most of the day, so i would imagine ill be there during a feeding window eventually. Thanks for the help, and ill be runnin to the tackle shop soon. Thanks, Mike

One more question. Im guessing scents and attractants will work the same, is this true?

I find myself using scents when fish are short-striking or not holding onto the lure long enough. I rarely use them with the Slug-Go, but I can recall a few days where it did help. Try without first and if you notice that the bass are dropping the lure quickly, then I would apply some... the reason is that you don't want them to swallow the bait and get throat hooked. As for brands, I do not have a particular preference, they all serve their purpose and I have yet to find one that had a negative effect.

BC

Good to know, thanks brendan, youve been a big help, as well as all other members!! Thanks Mike

No problem, glad to help out...