Bass help

[JohnMickish]

Ok, first off I'm a walleye guy so I'm no threat to you guys, but I still like to bass fish around the NE metro when I can.

The lakes I usually fish are Chisago, Big Marine, Forrest lake and WBL, and this is how I fish. I usually just beat the shorelines with spinnerbaits, swim baits and surface baits. I catch bass up to about 10:00am and then the fish move. I'm sure they move deeper but I don't know how to fish them deep. I catch fish doing this but they are usually smaller (under 14") fish.

My questions to you guys are,

1, Where do you guys look for mid day fish on weedy/clear lakes?

2, How do you fish for them?

3, What makes you switch to a jig, worm, drop shot or crankbait?

I totally understand that there is no "one size fits all" answer, just looking for some guidelines.

Thanks.

[prov1900]

I don't fish your lakes, but I will answer your questions in order, based on a "normal" weather pattern day...

1. 2 places - pockets in the milfoil and on deeper drop-offs.

2. Pockets are flipped, texas rig worms or grubs. Deeper drops - same worms/grubs, crankbaits.

3. Time of year dictates the primary bait for me, right or wrong. Drop shots aren't my specialty, although I really want to learn this year. Texas rigged worms are my go to bait in the 'hot' months, spring and fall I will vary between a grub (Kalins) or a jig/pig/plastic trailer.

Just my techniques that I use and obviously since I don't make my living at it, I have a lot to learn. This is obviously a great site for all of us to learn. I fished bass most of my life, then picked up on walleyes later on and have 'dedicated' everything to catching those fickle fish. Now I am looking forward to going back to bass a lot more...and will spend lots of time in the bass forum learning as much as I can.

[bassmann77]

I fish WB pretty frequently and the chance of catching bass during the mid-day hours is pretty tough. The problem with WB is the recreation traffic and the clarity of the water(but maybe the water will be pea green like last summer ) . I believe the fish hunker down in the milfoil and turn pretty negative. I have still put fish in the boat, but no where near the numbers as in the morning or later during the day. You have to switch presentation to a very slow retrieve and almost keep the bait in front of them for awhile. Boat control is crucial in targeting these areas because the recreational traffic go right over the areas the fish are at and keeping your bait at a good presentation is key.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Great questions... Being a walleye guy, I'm surprised you dont catch bass deep on your walleye presentations. I often catch walleye while fishing for bass on off shore structure. If you fish a jig for walleye, its really not all that different than fishing a jig worm for bass.. Same action/feel at least.

The key seems to be finding transition areas.. Transition in bottom content and or weed structure is key!

Last note.. while the shallow water bite is good in the morning till 10, the same thing is going on deep as well. Its a good morning bite and evening bite. Some time make yoru self back off the shoreline and put down the spinnerbait.. OR keep the spinnerbait but reel it REALLY slow...

[mainbutter]

I LOVE green cabbage on sunny days. I fish in and all around it, usually lots of action present on clear lakes with green cabbage. I pound it with slow moving soft plastics or suspending crankbaits, but that's just to allow myself to "know" that I've fished every inch in and around it.

I spend my mornings chasing deep fish or trying to get some fun topwater action, and switch after the action dies on those.

My personal theory is that green cabbage produces good oxygen on sunny days. I especially like it if it's been cloudy for the past few days and then it gets sunny. I could be completely wrong on why the fish are there, but I do well on the lakes I fish.

[RK]

Hiya -

Some good info here already.

I'll second what Deitz said... Apply what you already know about walleyes to bass. If you can pitch a jig for walleyes, you can fish a jigworm for weedline bass. Fish as light a jig as you can get away with (I use a 3/32 oz. 99% of the time) and make short casts to the deep weed edge. Look for points, pockets, and inside turns. Chances are you already have the gear to do it too - a 6'6" or 7' medium power fast action spinning rod with 8# test or so (or braid with a fluoro or mono leader works fine too...).

One way to find where to try it is just to go where you catch fish shallow, and turn around. Look out the main lake basin for the closest likely-looking spots.

Deitz is right about catching walleyes by the way - I catch an amazing number of them bass fishing some years. They love jigworms, and lipless cranks sometimes. The last two years, the biggest walleyes in my boat have come while bass fishing - a 29 incher on a Redeye Shad last year, and my wife's 30-incher (which was a giant) on a jigworm the year before.

The other option is to see if you can still find fish shallow during the day. They may still be there, but tucked into heavier cover and not willing to come out and chase a spinnerbait. Look for overhead cover like docks, or the thickest weeds or rushes around, and pitch/flip into them with a Texas-rigged worm or something. Some fish just live shallow, but catching them at mid-day can be a challenge, and does take some more specialized gear - heavy rods and braid or 20# mono/fluoro.

Like I said though - apply what you already know how to do, and just change the terminal tackle. Fishing a jigworm isn't much different than pitching a jig and plastic for walleyes.

Good luck.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[EBass]

I like to mix it up. Say you're casting your spinnerbait for a good 1/2 hour with nothing to show for it except some missed swirls. Change it up to a crankbait. It's a horizontal lure, but different presentation which may trigger them into biting instead of a swing and miss type deal.

Or go with a vertical presentation like a jig worm or Texas rigged worm/tube which sits in their face ifn' they want something slow. Mix it up and let them tell you.

[JohnMickish]

Thanks guys, great tips.

I don't catch alot of bass while walleye fishing because I don't walleye fish those lakes for walleyes. I'm usually up on Leech, Mille Lacs, Pool 4 or out of state but fish locally when time is limited.

I like the turn around and slow down, seem simple enough.

So what makes you guys decide to use a jig and craw over a texas rigged worm? When would you use a shakey head?

Do you try to locate fish on your sonar before hitting the deep weeds or just fish the fishy spots?

[EBass]

Quote:

So what makes you guys decide to use a jig and craw over a texas rigged worm? When would you use a shakey head?

Personal preference aka confidence thing, or what happens to be tied on at the time.

I do fish - fishy spots. P4 has good largies and smallies. Ever venture in the backwaters?

[JohnMickish]

No, I don't go into the backwaters. I've never been back in those areas but hear I am missing out, I guess I'm just afraid of the unknown back there. I am usually pulling multiple lead lines with cranks or crawlers out on the bigger water.

[BassNut33]

My biggest bit of advice when it comes to what lure to throw is get out there and experiment. I hear some many people say so many different things. I think you just have to find out what works for you. Of course there are some rules of thumb to go by. Certain presentations work better in certain types of bottom structure. Personally I won’t throw shaky head in the weeds. Some guys might but I don't like the feel and haven’t gotten results. I would rather throw a Texas rig, that is something always see results from. I fish a lot on the Rum River that is where I use the shaky head, but with that said I have had days there where I have more success throwing a crank bait, or jig. As Iaconelli says fish hard and keep switching baits until you find what they want.