Posts Tagged ‘Bass Fishing Tips’

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Decent Bass At Oakthorpe

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

My fishing partner Joe and I went to Oakthorpe Thursday, July 1 and I was lucky enough to catch a 4 pound 13 ounce Largemouth. Sure looks skinny in the picture that Joe took, it was actually a chunky fish.

I caught it on a green and white Scum Frog and it was the only fish we caught. Notice the eye wound, must have got hooked before or something.

Joe being the good sport he is…first complained that I waited to long to set the hook, even though you are suppose to wait until you feel the fish, I caught the bass Joe! Then he said it was blemished because of the eye. Um Joe, how was the eye on the one you caught? NOT! Little bit of jealousy huh Joe?

Oakthorpe bass

Oakthorpebass2

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How do you fish your lizards?

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Lizards are one of my favorite lures to fish, especially the Zoom Lizard. I used to fish them about all the same way, throw the lure out, let it sink and then move it by lifting my rod tip 6 inches to a foot at a time. I did pretty well with this technique. Then….

I moved to Florida and fished with a guy that caught twice as many bass on a lizard as I did. I didn’t think to much about it and thought it was his lucky day. We went fishing again, using the same lizard and line and guess what? He caught twice as many bass as me again. Now..

He has my attention and I started watching him. Finally, I just ask him what he is doing different. He says the tails and legs on a lizard are made to work and catch fish, so he uses that to his advantage. He reels his lizards in just fast enough to make the legs and tail move and keeps it on a steady retrieve. I tried his technique and caught more bass.

I came back to Ohio and tried his technique and sometimes didn’t do nearly as well as just moving the lure slowly along the bottom by lifting my rod tip 6-12″ at a time. So, what is the difference?

Well, the difference is the activity of the bass. If they are feeding and you have a lot of activity then swim it like he did making the legs and tail move on a steady slow retrieve. If the feeding activity isn’t quite as good then try moving the lizard slower by raising your rod tip 6-12 inches at a time and let it drag along the bottom.

I have also found this works with many plastics, like worms. If the bass are active then make the tail work, if not slow it down and use your rod tip.

Try it!

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A Sharp Hook Could Mean Success In Bass Fishing!

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

It amazes me how little time most anglers spend keeping the hooks on their lures in shape and sharp. We take time to change our lines, put on new lures, clean our rods and reels but hardly any time sharpening our hooks.

There is a philosophy that says a sharp hook is a smart hook. How many fish have we missed because of a dull hook point? The answer would probably amaze you.

You should carry a hook sharpener with you at all times. Of course, deeper penetration is the most obvious reason but there are some others as well. Have you ever had a surprise strike where it caught you totally off-guard? How about a strike when you weren’t even in position? These strike not only surprise you but can scare the hell out of you but a sharp hook can give you that extra second you need to set the hook and catch the fish.

If you fish treble hooks a lot like topwater, crankbaits and jerkbaits then a sharp hook is critical. If your lure is just sitting still and you get a strike with a dull hook many times the fish will just ricochet off and you won’t catch the fish but with a sharp hook the fish will hook themselves.

Just catching bass by itself with dull your hook but then you add the extra dullness when your lure has hit rocks and wood and you’re in for a disaster.

There are a variety of hook sharpeners on the market and one that I like is knife and hook sharpener that has a special groove on the side made especially to sharpen hooks. It costs about $5.00-$6.00.

Don’t try to put an edge on the hook, you’re not sharpening a knife just worry about the top part of the hook where the point is. Keep the hook so it will puncture easily and you’ll catch more bass and more big bass.

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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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Bass Fishing-Slower than Most!

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

I fish with several of my friends on a regular basis and one thing that I notice most of all is that when I fish for bass alone, I fish a lot slower. I fish the spots a lot more thoroughly than anyone I fish with, my friends cover more water and fish faster.

For me, fishing slower pays off and I catch fish, as when I fish in my friend’s boat I catch a lot less fish and feel like I’m rushed. Their method works for them just fine but it’s hard for me to fish fast like they do.

I fish lily pads a lot and will just lodge my boat in the pads and fan cast and fish. I’ll fish like that until I complete a 75% radius of a circle, I don’t fish right in back of me but all around in front and the sides. If I fish with my friend’s I don’t have time to do that as we’re moving way to fast.

Again, I’m not saying my way is the right and only way to fish for bass but it is what works for me and I do better at catch bass that way.

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Follow-up with Topwater Baits

Monday, July 6th, 2009

I fish topwater a lot especially with a Scum Frog in lily pads. When you fish really thick pads, you’re going to have a lot of strikes that you miss, so the thing I have found that works is to follow-up the strike with a plastic worm.

When a bass misses your topwater lure, it usually makes a small hole in the pads, I throw the worm in the hole that it makes when it misses and usually catch the bass on the plastic worm.

Try it the next time you’re fishing topwater and have a strike but it misses your lure, chances are the bass will be there waiting.

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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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Tough Fishing At Oakthorpe Reservoir!

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

After going to Oakthorpe Saturday and Sunday and not doing very well, I decided to go again Monday. I was going to catch a bass if I had to stay there all day.

The bite was really tough and I tried a lizard, worm and frog. I really fished it hard and was having a tough time getting a strike. I finally caught one fish but really had to finesse the scum frog, I mean I worked it a little at a time and very small increments. I really didn’t want to come out of there with nothing again.

Here is the outcome:
ikesbass050509-001

ikesbass050509-002

I want to tell you the fishing was tough and I fished this lake quite often.

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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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