Posts Tagged ‘bass fishing lures’

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Do what you’re good at in Bass Fishing!

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

This past year I have not only met some new friends but met some excellent fishermen. The one thing I noticed is that they are experts in a certain type of bass fishing, that doesn’t mean they don’t try a lot of different lures and catch fish but what it does mean is they have one type of fishing technique that they are excellent at doing and they catch big fish doing it.

For example, my friend Larry lsali is one of the best jig fisherman I have seen in a long time. I have fished with some pros that fish jigs but they don’t do it any better than Larry does and he could teach some of them a few things for sure about jig fishing. He doesn’t know I pay close attention to what he does and how he fishes a jig but I do and have learned quite a bit just watching Larry. Larry fishes a variety of lures but his go to lure is his jigs.

A good friend of mine and fishing partner is Bill Walters, now bill fishes a lot of lures too but when he wants to get down to business he fishes a wacky worm. Bill has impressed me with his fishing abilities with this worm rig more than once. He just loves to fish it and it pays off big time for him. I learned a lot from Bill this year just watching him fish with this rig.

Then there’s Rick! Rick doesn’t seen to have a lure he uses most that I have seen but he has a pattern most people don’t…open water structure fishing. Rick depends on his gps and fish finder more than most people do and he has become quite skilled at finding structure in open water. Rick has an eagle eye for roadbeds, underwater streams and canals and all underwater structure and he’s good at finding them and fishing them with success.

My go to bait is the scum frog. I fish it different than most people do and fish it slower than most people do. I usually fish it slow than fish it slower. I have had people tell me they can’t believe how much patience I have when fishing my frog. This year I fished it quite a bit faster than usual and didn’t do quite as well with it, next year I will slow it back down.

Here is my point with all this, the good bass anglers that i know become experts with a certain lure or pattern and they do good with what they do. Do what you’re good at, practice it, build your confidence in it and you’ll do great!

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Fishing the Frog in Lily Pads-Fish Opposite the Sun!

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

Over the years I have fished thousands of hours using a frog in lily pads. I believe the best way to fish a body of water is when the sun is rising in the East to fish the West side of the lake and when it is setting in the West to fish the East side of the lake.

You may be asking why I believe this…here is the answer. A bass doesn’t actually see the lure 99% of the time is very thick lily pads, all they see is a silhouette of the frog on top of the pads. When you fish the opposite of the sun like stated above, the silhouette of the frog is longer and easier for the bass to see.

Now, on the opposite end of this spectrum, you will probably get more misses as the lure seems longer to the bass than it actually is and their strike may be off a little because of that reason. The good news is, you will get more strikes overall, I believe.

Caution…….when you fish opposite the sun, make sure you and your boat doesn’t cast a shadow on the pads themselves and scare the fish away. Stay far enough back of where you want to fish.

If you get a strike on your frog and a miss (blowup) by all means follow up with a plastic worm and throw it where the blow-up was located and where the hole in the pads are from the blow-up and the miss.

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Ever wonder how far a bass can see you lure?

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

A bass can see your lure about 4 times are far as you can. Take your lure and watch it and see how far it goes down before you lose sight of it. If you lose sight at 2 feet below the surface then a bass could see your lure for 8 feet away.

Of course, in clear water it is going to be further and in stained water not quite as far.

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Do You Know Your Crankbait And Why It Could Make A Big Difference!

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

Everyone can pick a crankbait out of their tacklebox and throw it haphazardly but if you do that you’re going to lose a lot of fish and confidence in your lure and fishing both.

Here are some things you should know about the crankbait you’re fishing:

Does it look good going through the water?  If it does, you’ll have better confidence in the bait and you’re fishing too.

What depth does it run?  If you’re fishing in deep water and your bait is only running 3 feet deep when bass are holding up at the bottom, what good does it do?  Know the depth your lure runs!

What is the slowest speed the lure can run and still have the action it needs?  Also, know the opposite…what is the fastest speed it can run and still have the action you want it to have?

We all know that erratic action can produce strikes, watch your crankbait in the water and see the action it makes.  What is the best way to work the lure?

What conditions are you fishing and what crankbait do you want to use?  Does the crankbait float?  Does it suspend or sink?  Know when to use your particular crankbait for certain conditions!

What size do you want to use for the fish you’re catching or want to catch?  Overall and in general, bigger bass like bigger lures.

What color crankbait should you be using?  What are the bass eating in their natural state? Shad? Crayfish? Trout? Bluegill?  Whatever it is try and match your crankbait to the same color.

What is the right size for your bass?  If they are eating shad or crayfish or both then a shorter crankbait is usally the answer.  There are some exceptions so try different crankbaits and see what you find.

What sound does your crankbait make?  Does it rattle?  Does it clang?  Does it make a clicking noise?  What exactly does it do and how will that help you?  For example, if the forage the fish are feeding on are crayfish, a clicking or rattle may help catch more bass because the crayfish may be making that same noise.

The next thing to know is the water displacement….is is a wide wobble?  Is it a short wobble?  How does it displace the water?  This could make a difference in how many bass you catch.  It seems less water displacement may do better in clear water while a bigger displacement may do better in muddy and stained water.  Experiment!

Whiles it’s easy to just grab a crankbait and start thowing it without knowing anything about it, you’ll find once you do find out what is actually does, you’ll not only catch more bass but also have more confidence in your fishing.

For a great forum about bass fishing visit my friend’s Rick website at:

http://fishtalkfishingreports.yuku.com/forums/59

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Have you quit using bass catching lures because the Pros don’t!

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

I was at a local tackle shop in New Lexington, Ohio today and looking around and seen a lure I used to use but quit using them.  I remember catching hundreds of nice bass on them but just quit using them and then got thinking why I don’t use them.  Here are the reasons:

First, when I went to Florida and fished in tournaments other anglers said “you’re not going to catch anything with that down here”.  I caught two bass while the guy was telling me that on them.

Second, the other Pros don’t use them!  No one has ever endorsed them that I ever seen, so they probably aren’t all that good even though I have caught hundreds of bass on them.

What dumb reasoning on my part!  The Pros are going to endorse whoever is paying them the most and sponsoring them.   So, guess what? Today, I purchased a whole card of them.  What is the lure?  Kelly’s Striper, purple and white!  I used them for years and all of a sudden just quit when I began fishing in Florida even though I have had great success with them.

Well, they’re back and so am I!

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A Lure So Good I ordered 250 of them!

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Many of you know that when I was in Florida I used a lure called Charlie’s Twitchin Shad…particularly the Salt & Pepper!  Since I came back to Ohio I haven’t seen anywhere that has them so I have been without any for years now.

Well, I found Charlies number and talked to Nancy there and ordered 250 Twitchin Shads.  That should last me a while.  The service was great and Nancy is an extremely nice person.  she has a lot of running around to do and is out of the office quite a bit so just leave her a message.

If you live in the South and can get the Twitchin Shad from a local dealer…then she will have you do it that way, I believe.  If you live in the North and can’t get them then maybe she can help you.

Charlies Worms
629 E Obispo Ave
Clewiston, FL 33440
863-983-7888

The way I use these lures is I throw them out and just use my rod tip to barely move them a little at a time right under the water’s surface!  I reel in the slack line as I move them with my rod tip kind of high, when I get a strike I lower my rod tip a little and take up any slack and set the hook!

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Topwater Baits You Should Try For More Action!

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

I think about everyone loves to catch big bass on a topwater lure, the excitement of seeing the bass strike it, the big splash when they bust the lure gets our heart beating.

Whether you live in Ohio or Florida, there’s the buzzbaits, the Spooks, the Jitterbugs that we all use but there’s one more that I really like that makes even more water disturbance and action…Strike King’s Rage Tail.  I used this last year with pretty good success and so have many of the Pros fishing tournaments.

I used the Rage Tail Shad and Toad last year in the lily pads and did very well with them.  The bass seem to love these two lures.

The craw I used but didn’t try it topwater but it does look good going through the water with the claws moving up and down.  Unfortunately, I never caught a bass on this lure.   I’ll try this lure again this year.

This year I am going to try some new Rage Tails like the NEW Strike King® Rage Tail™ Anaconda, Rage Tail™ Lizard,  Rage Tail™ Lobster and the  Space Monkey.

I love to fish lizards so the first new Rage Tail I purchased was the new Rage Tail Lizard.  I can’t wait to try it.  While the Rage Tail is meant to fish topwater and make splashes and commotion on top, I have caught many bass on the Rage Tail Shad fishing it just below the surface.

Next time you are looking to fish a buzzbait or topwater lure, try a Rage Tail, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

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Is Your Lure To Big To Catch Bass?……No!

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

You may think sometimes that the lure you’re using is too big to catch bass but in most cases it isn’t to big at all.  Here is what I mean by that….a bass that is 14 1/2 inches long can eat a bass that is over 7 inches long.  A bass that is 18 1/2 inches long and weighs about 3 1/2 pounds can eat a bluegill nearly 7 inches long and a bass almost 11 inches long.  Also a bigger bass that weighs 7 pounds and 22 1/2 inches long can eat a bluegill almost 9 inches long and a bass almost 14 inches long.

As you can see the more slender the prey is the bass eats, the longer the prey can be up to a certain length.  It really doesn’t take a big bass to eat a big lure.  On the average a 14 inch bass weighs about a pound.  A 20 inch bass weighs a little over 4 1/2 pounds and a 23 inch bass weighs a little over 7 pounds in general.

Next time you think the lure that you’re using is too big to catch a bass….think again!

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Double Prop Baits-Better Than The Rest

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

There are several good double prop baits out there including the Torpedo and Smithwick Devil’s Horse.  No Bait always catches fish but when a double prop does it can be lots more effective than poppers, walking baits and buzzbaits. Unknown to many people the pros use them as well. 

One of the main reasons they work is people have not used them much where as Spooks and buzzbaits are seen by bass everywhere.  A double prop bait makes a disturbance in the water, bubbles and sound like no other lure.  Some good places to use these baits are around a submerged log, grass mats, between lily pads openings.  Some good colors are perch, black and lures that have orange bellies.  Replacing the hooks to black on both ends and red in the middle produces good results for me.  On two hook double prop lures I replace the back hook with red.  I also use heavier line in the 25 pound range, this prevent the line from getting tangled on the front hook. 

Try several retrieves, if one doesn’t produce then try another.  You can use a spurt, spurt, spurt retrieve or use the lure like a buzzbait.  Experiment!  Slow it down, speed it up, twitch it, combine the retrieves.  While you many not catch bass on a prop bait a lot of times, the bass you do catch are usually quality bass.

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One Of My All-Time Favorite Lures

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

When I was a kid about six years old my brother was fishing for carp for fun and I was of course, fishing for bass.  He had caught a nice carp.  I was fishing a lure called a torpedo, you know the lure with a propeller or two on the ends of the lure.  I was fishing a lake where part of a wall had fell in the lake.  I was reeling the torpedo in and had a huge strike, water went everywhere but I missed the fish.  I threw the lure back in and had another strike and missed the fish again.  The third time was a charm.  The fish hit and I had a battle on my hands to say the least.  I finally got the bass in and it was bigger than my brother’s carp.  My family just carried on about what nice bass that was and probably the biggest bass they seen.  I couldn’t believe it when they ate my fish though.  I was devastated.

 

 

Ever since that time I have used torpedoes.  Again, I don’t use them like most people.  Seems like the people I see using them cast them out and reel them with a constant retrieve.  I throw the lure out, let it sit and let the rings clear, also this lets the bass hone in on the lure.  Then I twitch the rod tip and make the lure move 3 short moves and let it sit again for as long as a minute from the initial cast.  I then move the lure 3 short twitches again and let it sit but only for about 15 seconds then I move the lure so slowly the blades barely move and the lure hardly causes a water disturbance of any kind and that’s when I get the most hits.  If I don’t get a hit right away, I just keep using the same technique all the way to the boat or shore.  3 twitches and rest, 3 twitches and rest and then barely move the lure.

 

I have caught some of my largest bass I have caught on the torpedo and it will continue to be one of my favorite topwater lures.

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