big bass wont bite!

[HandGunner]

so at this dock theres 2 big girls they wont hit a thing! but only the sunnys that swim around since they would chase the girlfriends sunnies she catches and bite them. so i was wondering what lures should i start trying there to hammer them? i tried 2 hard body swim baits and it does not phase them they want that struggling sunny action, i have castaic hard heads both small and large sunny ones maybe they can work? only thing is i cant find any glue to glue the softbodys onto the head. help would be apreciated one might just be the next record breaker!

[TruthWalleyes]

they would chase the girlfriends sunnies she catches and bite them.

Or use bigger hooks to catch your sunnies...and just play out the fight for a long time...

[pikestabber]

Hold your laughter... Have you tried a leech on a plain hook? I encountered a similar situation a few years back fishing in shallow water. We would see these huge bass cruising around, and we threw every lure under the sun to no avail. Frustrated, we started fishing gills and every time you reeled them in, BAM! the bass would nail them. We didn't have any minnows with, but we had leeches, and a leech on plain hook under a float was the ticket! Otherwise, speaking of live bait, maybe a sucker minnow or creek chub would do the trick. Sometimes there is no substitution for the look, scent, and feel of the real deal. One other bait that had some effect was a "Mann's SHADow" soft plastic swim bait rigged Texas-style.

[thatoneguy]

I've done very well pulling crankbaits along docks - even something as simple as the ol' black & silver Countdown Rap can be effective. Situations like this are fun - you just keep trying different presentations until you find something that triggers a strike!

[EBass]

Did they see you? I spooked a few then came back 20 mins later and caught a 19"er, but made long casts.

[HandGunner]

nothing phased them but the bite was slow bass hit my wacky rig but only slap and lose intrest no inhale im hoping my castaic hard heads do the job. any ideas why they wont hit? trust me first glance at the big one and youd say..... carp

[GooBack]

Some bass just won't bite lures.

[HandGunner]

i guess i just have to keep trying eh... any tips for bass that just stare at your lure and swims away? i had this problem today with the other basses cruisin the shore

[corncob]

Often it is just a case of proper presentation, lure speed, depth of lure,lure size, water depth, or just plain location.....In most cases bass will bite, just need the right trigger.

[TonyKay]

Koppers live target bluegill all day, either the shallow crankbait or the wake bait

[HandGunner]

i tried lots of worms skinny and senko size fished slow fast threw a craw almost tempted them but nope. i was sight fishing droping lure on top of them scared them away were as last week droping it ontop of them they would hit besides run plus bites were bites not inhale like a bass should... maybe just one of those days for them maybe thats why the 2 big girls didnt care for anything except the struggling sunnies my gf kept catching

[Gekhang]

it happened to me too. i threw all the koppers bluegill i had out there and it would not hit it. threw my whole aresenal with no luck. it nibbled at my shakey head with 7inch black skinny worm. and so i threw out my drop shot with it on and took less than a minute of wiggle around its face for it to slowly eat it.

[mainbutter]

We need to legalize sunfish under 7'' for live bait!

I recommend a fly. I've gotten some nice fish negative fish (up to 3lbs or so?) by sight casting both these patterns to bass:

I haven't noticed a difference in catch rates in either pattern or the couple of color variations, but the pattern on the right with barred olive, orange middle, and eyes makes for a killer bluegill fly. I like them about 2'' long, the bigger ones haven't taken fish as much.

They almost float, great for the shallows and slow fishing. I should try adding some lead wraps to get it to slow sink, I think it'd make a few more of those negative fish react.

[KickNBass]

My favorite technique for sight fishing, especially this time of year is a natural colored fluke, like baby bass.

First off, nothing helps more than seeing the bass before they see you.

My main technique is to throw ahead of the fish, far enough to not spook but close enough to attract attention. Rule number 1: if the fish is paying attention to the bait, DON'T move it! Once they start swimming away, twitch/pause until they gain interest again, then DON'T move it.

[fisherman-andy]

Big bass know food is there. Let it sit right in front of them. Give the bait an occasional twitch and let it sit their dead stick. Easy food is too good to pass and eventually watch for the trigger. They will likely inhale it and may spit it back out if your not paying attention.

[NickMcD63]

Patience.

[corncob]

Find the fish ,SLOW DOWN ,fish edges, docks , shaded areas, break lines, and slow down some more....SET THE HOOK!

[AwesomZZ]

If you can see the fish, they can see you. Dont throw the bait in front of them cause more than likely that may not work. Throw behind them and jig it slowly to them or past them. Also, consider something with scent and go smaller. But then again, you never know what will trigger a bite. If you've thrown everything at them and they still dont bite, you dont have enough lures. You need more different types or lures.

[lookincalifornia]

my best sight fishing bait this year was a 4" basstrix flashtix in perch. tungsten weight with a red glass bead. california bass loved to eat this rig this spring.

[corncob]

Thats it!!!!!.....Order about $1000.00 worth of more lures!...May not catch anymore Bass, but, you'll be all set up and have made lots more friends that also fish for bass....

[goblueM]

I hammered nice bass this week by sight fishing. Senkos (well... I use Mr. Twister Comidas and Yum Dingers) are the ticket. Cast in front and beyond them, let it drift near them. Let the fish tell you if they want it twitched a few times, or if they'll only nose up to it once it falls to the bottom. Sometimes they'll stare at it for a minute or two or longer. When that happens I like to tap my rod or line, making the worm shimmy but not move. It's very similar to messing with a housecat... just have to find what triggers them to bite.

If they show interest, sometimes changing colors or size works very well. Also if there are smaller bass or sunfish around, its almost a guaranteed hook up with the big one if a smaller bass tries to eat your bait, just don't set the hook and gently pull the bait away from them, often the large bass will charge in and grab it