BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

I've noticed walleye fishing has been getting very well loved nowadays. maybe even rivaling bass fishing. Your thoughts?

you're kidding, right? wall… ha! wally… walleye rivaling bass…hoo hah! sorry dude. funny. due to the walleye's geographical restrictions and limited range compared to a bass, there is no way it will ever be as well loved as LMB. there are none in california but you can't look under a lily pad without a bass eyeballin' ya right back. that's the way it is all across america. that's the way we like it. anyone wants a walleye has to kick a bunch of hard fighting bass out of the way. and dig underneath all their bass plugs to find a walleye jig. speaking of jigs, there is probably 40 times as much money spent on bass boats, rods and lures and such as is spent on all the other species combined, including walleye. look at the prize money on the big tournaments. jeez!

Mmmmm…. walleye… if we had 'em down here, they sure would… go out and catch a nice big bass and let it go because you know it tastes yucky or go out and catch… *wipes the drool from her chin* walleye… mmmm…

But you know what? We've got a lot more bass here in Florida than we do walleye, so sorry, walleye won't win out here…..

IS 20 LBS TEST LINE TO MUCH FOR TEXAS RIGGED WORMS? OR DOES IT MATTER?

in murky water it is fine in clean water go smaller and just play the drag

No, though if you are using mono I wouldn't go much heavier than that. as long as you can cast the 20 lb line with your reel it will work fine. I use braided line, and I think what is on my reel at the moment is 50 lb test, but it is so much thinner than mono. I prefer the braid because it is much stronger than mono for its size, there is nothing worse than getting in the weeds and breaking off, with braid you can drag the fish through anything.

If you are fishing really clear water and are worried about visability then use a florocarbon leader.

No its not too much although I would recommend Triline XT in 8-12lb. test.

definately too much because bass can see through the water into the line sometimes especially the larger ones…try 10-12 pound test line that should do the trick.

i'd use at the most 17lb test. with plastic worms your giving the bass so much time to observe the lure that they can easily see the line.

yes it does matter… but thats not to much… it will worked i have done that b4…. try it out it works really well

After an unusual storm hit California earlier this week, the weather is improving and fishermen should see a certain improvement at Clear Lake during the Fourth of July weekend.

While many of the bass are still spawning, others have moved off the beds into the deeper water. I went out with the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) electroshocking team Tuesday night and the boat I was on worked the Lakeport area. in a space of four hours we shocked more than 200 bass, all of which were weighed, measured and released. Most of the bass were in less than 5 feet of water and many were around the docks.

The clue to catching these bass is to work the weed beds with either Senkos or jigs. Senkos remain the most popular lure on the lake. Most of the action has been in the north end of the lake where fishermen are casting their lures into the small openings in the weed mats or beneath docks. a handful of fishermen also report having excellent success casting a Fluke over the weeds. the Fluke is a soft plastic lure that resembles a small minnow. it is rigged on a 3/0 hook weedless style and fished without a weight. the lure is retrieved with small jerks, which gives it the appearance of an injured baitfish.

The topwater action is slowly improving and the best action is at dawn and the last hour before dark. Skitter Pops, Zara Spooks and wide variety of other topwater lures have been successful. There is a small action on plastic frogs cast to the weed mats, however, that should improve as the water heats up. during the hottest part of the day the bass seek these weed mats for shade and that’s when a frog can be deadly. It’s also one of the most exciting methods of bass fishing.

Ken Taddie of Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven reports crappie action is picking up off the docks at the resort. Bluegill, bass and catfish are also biting. Catfish are also being caught off the docks at Lakeside County Park. Catfish action has also been very excellent in Horseshoe Bend, at the State Park and in Cache Creek. Some catfishermen report catching up to 10 catfish per outing and a few are weighing up to 15 pounds.

Boaters are reminded this holiday weekend that all the major boat ramps around the lake will be manned by volunteers checking for compliance with the quagga mussel sticker program. if you launch your boat and it doesn’t have a current sticker, you will probably be cited by the sheriff’s boat patrol and ordered off the lake. the fine could be as much as $1,000. There will be several patrol boats on the lake during the holiday weekend so the chances of being checked are very high.

Upper Blue Lake continues to provide fair trout action for both trollers and bank fishermen. the bass fishing has been very excellent for fishermen using either plastic worms or jigs. the East Branch of the Russian River is worth a try this weekend. the stream hasn’t been stocked with trout for a couple of weeks but there should be some holdovers.

Letts Lake is a perfect spot to visit during the holiday weekend. the trout fishing has been brilliant and bass are also being caught. if you have a small boat or a float tube, then a trip to Highland Springs Reservoir will produce excellent bass fishing. the small lake is located on Highland Springs Road just south of Lakeport.

For a day trip, Lake Pillsbury is an ideal place to visit. even if you don’t plot on fishing, the lake is great spot for a picnic. It’s also a great opportunity to see the herd of resident tule elk staying at the north end of the lake.

At Indian Valley Reservoir, bass are the prime attraction although the catfish action has also been excellent. Several fishermen have questioned why the kokanee fishing is so poor. the DFG planted the lake with small kokanee last year and they haven’t grown large enough to catch. Typically is takes kokanee three years to reach more than 12 inches.

Ocean salmon fishing off Fort Bragg is slowly improving and many of the fishermen report catching one to two salmon per trip. the bottom fishing is rated as excellent.

I would like to pick out a college to go to when I'm older that has a bass fishing team so I could do tournaments but I don't know what colleges have teams. any help will work.

i want to know what is the best type of fishing line. for example braided, Monofilament ……. I fish for bass fish and catfish and i have a spinning fishing reel.

Your line really depends on the type of bait you are using and also depends on the type of rod you are using. If you are just looking for an all around excellent line I would just stick with flourocarbon. it sinks, is the least visible of all fishing lines, and has small stretch…thus it would be ideal for both catfishing and bass fishing. 20lb Flourocarbon should do you just fine.

It depend on how huge of catfish your going for. If the cats are about the same size as the bass than you should stick with mono. If you are fishing for huge cats than you should try Suffix Performance Braid. I bought some to use for bass fishing in heavy cover but now I can catch huge catfish as well.
Hope this helps! Excellent Luck Fishin'!

Been Bass fishing recently with lures with no luck. I assume I am doing something wrong. Live in Northern New Jersey and have tried some different techniques, but to go or not go is my question.

Stay put. Let them come to you. My experiences with bass fishing, standing atop a high point where I could actually see the bass in the water, has shown that bass have to be attracted to the lure, they find you. It's all in the wrist. If they don't care about the lure, it doesn't matter if you find them.

Every one has their own opinion and here is mine. If you are cat fishing you can stay in one spot and catch all you want sometimes. But if you are bass fishing and if you haven't had any strikes in the last 15 minutes or so , there are two possibilities- they are not biting or they are not there. It's time to go and try to locate some. the only time that it is in your best interest to stay in one spot when bass fishing, is when you locate a school of bass. You will know it quickly when you do – they will hit your lure until the paint starts coming off it sometimes- this does not happen very often. You normally have to hunt the bass down- one or two at a time-bass like the edges of things – the edge of a shoreline, the sides of standing timber in the water, the edge of a log laying in the water, the edge of a stump in the water , the edge of a weed line in the water, the edge of an under water drop-off etc. the more targets you have in the water, the better your odds at catching a bass. Here's my philosophy on moving or stationary for bass- if I haven't caught a bass in 5 minutes, the bass are not biting there or there is no bass there. Either way you need to go on and try a new spot. It's a great sport and I'll admit that I'm a fanatic about it. good luck and good fishing!

if you have been fishing in the same spot for quite some time, don't go, you just have to present the bait good, and eventually they will bite, good luck and tell me if it works.

Sorry John Rod but if the fish are not there then how in the heck are they going to bite your bait no matter how you work it? If you dont get a bight try a different color or presentation, but dont spend to much time in one spot, unless you just have this hunch that there are fish there then you fish different baits, colors and presentations till you find what they whant.

Remember "Fish are like woma …..You never know what they are going to do" Just because they are in a certain spot today dosent mean they will be there tmmro and just because the hit a certain bait today dosent mean they will hit it tmmro.

If a spot looks fishy I will spend 20 min's using at least 3 different baits at the location working a grid like pattern over the area before moving on.

Loose change is completely wrong. the key to catching bass is covering ground. Use a plastic worm (Watermelon/black flake is a good color). this is a baby bass replica(yes, they eat their young). Senko's are the best worm there is "you don't work them, they work for you". But just so you know, they are expensive. they are 95% salt(which bass think is blood). the high concetration of salt makes it heavy , so you don't need a weight. Just throw it out , wait for it to sink and slowly retrieve, giving it small jerks every once in a while. Once you have caught a fish, take a mental note of everything that happend; were you in a cove, on a point? Were you fishing some type of structure? Time of day, weather, wind, water clarity, etc. these are all clues to predict where & when to fish. If you caught the fish on a point, they are probobly foraging, so you want to find a similar area(structure) to fish. Depending on time of year, you might find them in a shallow cove spawning. in this case, Use a white Senko. they will protect their nest by attacking your worm. But Patience is what will get you more fish. Making sure you give the worm enough time to sink will keep you in the strike zone. now go rip some lip!!!!! oh, remember 'catch and release'. Bass taste like **** anyway! hahaha

I'm going to go to my grandmas house in a few days. she lives on the Black River in new York .she doesn't have a boat or anything so i plan on fishing from shore. Black river is known for there pike and bass. its still cold out and i was wondering what bait or lures to use to catch bass or pike from shore. Normally i use just worms and catch sunfish and little bass. So what are some lures or rigs to catch bass or pike in the black river in this cold weather up in new York from shore?

I would try a small worm dropshot rigged or a football head jig w/ trailer.

Try a red and white spoon ans see what that brings up. it might still be a little to cold right now, but hey it never hurts to try. as long as your out doors and pleased, thats all that matters.

I agree with B Dub go with a drop shot rig, small finesse jig or shakey head worm. I would also try a 3-4'' plastic craw either on the drop shot or Texas rigged. You might hook some excellent smallies in that river. I have caught some excellent smallmouth here in western Carolina on a drop shot rig in the cold clear French Broad Rver. I use a 4'' camo berkley power worm and cut the curl on the tail off.

if your fishing cold weather obviously the water will be colder so the fish will be down deeper and the larger fish will be slugish. so my opinion to catching fish in cold weather is a drop shot worm and fish it slowly and bump it along.

a live golden minnow or live rainbow trout would work excellent in a river. for bass rig it on a #1 hook and 20lb mono leader and for pike 40lb wire leader. is this the same black river that runs through ohio.

I would use a Senko ( plastic work) . let it sink for 10-15 seconds then yo-yo it.

I would try a jig or a shaky head worm you can never go incorrect with a plastic worm or lizard.

We have had a week of really hot wather, and the water tempature has went from 75 deg up to 86deg is about 4 day, what will the bass be doing???, what kind of fishing should I be doing?, and where are they going to be located?, ( the is no running water in to the lake, avg depth 15 ft.) thanks for the help

go deep and bottom bounce a senko worm along twitching it occasionally.Try going at low/no daylight hours.

Hot or cold remember that species is a predator and ambushes its meals from a hiding place most of the time. So try and find structure, depth changes, stumps, lilly pads etc fish as close to those as you can early or late in day (fish have no eyelids and avoid direct sunlight) vary your baits and lures but in all cases if you are not losing baits/lures to snags or rocks you are not bass fishing. they are 99% of the time in, under, around, structure or on the way to and from deeper water to those areas and in deeper water the same holds true.

Tony Garitta Published: Friday, June 3, 2011 at 1:50 a.m. last Modified: Friday, June 3, 2011 at 1:50 a.m.

Yadkin River lakes hosted four major bass benefit tournaments in may, one for Transporter Drivers of Motorsports Assoc., one for the Special Olympics, one for Hospice and one for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Mark Murphy and Kevin Johnston topped an impressive field of 75 teams Saturday to win the TDMA Benefit Bass Fishing event at High Rock. the twosome had a catch of 25.44 pounds for first-place and a bass weighing 7.39 pounds for huge-fish honors. They received $3,750. Ralph Hollifield Sr. and Jr. of Winston-Salem earned $1,350 for their second-place haul of 21.93 pounds. the Lexington team of Chris Baldwin and James Blankenship ranked third with 20.16 pounds and shared $750. Chris Brown and David Wright, another Lexington team, finished fourth with 20.01 pounds, winning $400.

Other top teams were Billy Marshall and Keith Davis, fifth, with 18.37 pounds that paid $300; Jeremy Talbert of Albemarle and Tod Haynes, sixth, with 18.30 pounds that paid $250; David Drye of New London and Barry Davis, seventh, with 18.24 pounds that paid $200; and Josh Noe and Jason Ingold, eighth, with 18.23 pounds that paid $150.

Glenn and Steve Sparrow won $200 as the top Adult/Child entry with 16.90 pounds, and Johnny and Lynn Boggs won $200 as the top Male/Female entry with 11.46 pounds.

Tony Waterhouse of Lexington and Justin Goodyear of Thomasville won the may 14 Randolph County Special Olympics Benefit Bass tournament at High Rock with a five-fish limit weighing 20.40 pounds to take the $1,000 first-place prize. their haul included the big fish of the day, a 7.00-pound bass that paid an additional $220.

The High Point team of Mike Hedgecock and Darrell Coltrane fell less than a pound shy of the winners with 19.60 pounds to take the second-place award of $500.

Completing the top five teams were Jack Worley and Bart Hill, third, with 17.80 pounds that paid $250; Tracy Smith of Lexington and Eric Moser of Salisbury, fourth, with 17.20 pounds that paid $150; and Greg and Jeff Crotts, both of Lexington, fifth, with 16.40 pounds that paid $100.

Buzz Dunlap and Benny Blake, both of Mt. Gilead, continued their mastery of Badin Lake with a first-place catch of 24.65 pounds to win the may 14 Hospice of Stanly County Team Bass Charity Tournament. They also captured the huge-fish award of $410 with a 7.12 pound bass.

Drye of New London and Robert Parrish of Albemarle finished a distant second with 17.08 pounds and collected $800. Doug Young of Salisbury and Jerry Charleston ranked third with 16.69 pounds and shared $500.

Other teams receiving checks were Kevin Chandler of New London and Alan Griffin, fourth, with 16.64 pounds for $400; Bennett Pridgen of Trinity and Lane Hayes of High Point, fifth, with 16.56 pounds for $300; John Russell and Roscoe Bowers, sixth, with 16.30 pounds for $200; Brandon Shaver and Chad Cook, both of Albemarle, seventh, with 16.08 pounds for $150; and Bob Jennett of Kernersville and Derek Crumbley of High Point, eighth, with 16.00 pounds for $125.

James Allred and Larry Brickey of Browns Summit won the may 14 Fishers of Men Piedmont Division tournament at High Rock with 19.02 pounds and shared $1,140.

Robert Mixon of Lexington and Steve Sink of Winston-Salem placed second with 17.15 pounds and received $654.

CJ Johnston of Salisbury and Matt Stanley ranked third with 16.88 pounds, winning $444.

Other high finishers were Bryon O’Daniel and Dave Snyder of Concord, fourth, with 16.17 pounds for $358; Bobby Steel and Robert Williams, fifth, with 14.85 pounds for $296; Al Needham and Howie Payne of Seagrove, sixth, with 14.85 pounds for $238; and Brad Peyton of Salisbury and Chuck Huffman of Elon, seventh, with 14.18 pounds for $40.

Bradley Houchins and Jonathon Jones had the big fish of the day with a 5.96-pound bass worth $198.

Brice Hollis and Anthony Singleton, both of Albemarle, won the may 14 Deep Creek Lures Team Tournament competition at High Rock with 12.42 pounds. They squeezed by second-place finishers Kenny and Adam Spell, both of Sanford, who had 12.04 pounds.

Hal Abshire of Cameron and James Poirrier of Sanford ranked third with 10.25 pounds. Ivan Honeycutt and Roger Ballard, both of Sanford, took huge-fish honors with a 5.12-pound bass.

Tony Garitta is a fishing columnist for the Dispatch.

Posted 07 June 2011 – 01:56 PM

Hey, how is everyone! I'm new to the site and particularly new to bass fishing. I've fished for about 10 years but with live bait and for anything but now i'm starting to fish strictly bass. My uncle likes bass fishing and I've gone with him a few times and really loved it so here I am trying to get a few extra pointers. I'm 20 and got to college and work full time but I get out on a lake as much as I can. I have 2 rods one is a abu garcia spinning reel with a cherrywood rod 6 foot 6 inch. With 10 stren on it. My second rod which I just bought today is a abu garcia black max bait caster with a flipping switch and a ugly stick 6 foot 6 inch medium rod with 20 spider wire. I also picked up some senkos, frogs, spinner and buzz baits. With a few crank baits as well. I'm getting my boating certification in one week and my uncle said when I get it I can use his lowe bass boat whenever I want to I'm going to start entering local tournaments also. But just wanted to introduce myself and say hi. Thanks for reading