begginer

[Guest]

ive read and watched videos and tv shows but still dont understand how and where to catch them please provide as much info as you can
thanks

[Guest]

Lpg,

Can you give us some more info. In what area of the state are you? Do you have a boat or shore fish? What lake or lakes have you been fishing? What have you tried that's not working?

The more specific you are, the easier it is for us to help.

[Guest]

i am in the metro i have a boat and ive been fishing minnetonka, big marine, where else is there great bass fishing in the metro

[Crawlerman]

Well.. This year I've done great off of Orchard lake in Lakeville for Bass and I'm not a specific Bass/artifical fisherman either. I generally use live bait and have only had sucess catching bass on Rapalas other than that. On orchard fish with a slip bobber, and a big leech off the edges of the Lillies and reeds in the middle of the lake-- as close to them as you can get without getting tangled. I've found a few suprises and had a few line breakers on. The largest was caught by a friend I took with me; it was 19" and 4lbs. I caught a 17" earlier that week. Little skill required as it's a small lake with a lot of nice strutcure and a very good population of bass. They are easy to locate.

[Guest]

Lpg,

One of the best articles I ever read in Bassmater was 6 Patterns on Natural Lakes.

In no particular order.
1. Docks: pitching and skipping jig and soft plastics.
2. Slop: Weedless topwater, spinnerbaits, jigs, plastics.
3. Inside Weedlines: just about everything depending on bottom composition.
4. Outside weedlines: just about everything depending on weeds and bottom.
5. Points: once again you can throw most presentations depending on weeds, water clarity, and bottom
6. Humps: Any presentation

I would include Flats, those are the non slop area's between the inside and outside weedline.

I am a big believer in
F+L+P= Fishing Success (Fish, Location, Presentation)
This is the In Fisherman Formula.

1st You need to know a little about the seasonal movements of fish and then how they relate to the species (lg Bass) and geographical location you are fishing.

2nd You need to know the locations that are most likely to contain the Lg. Bass. That's what those six/7 patterns were. All places to check and see if the fish are home.

3rd You need to become proficient in the presentations that are best suited towards a certain environment and have the right tools/ tackle for the jog.

Example: Slop
Slop is an area with ultra thick to sparce weeds on or above the surface. Milfoil and pads are common slop in the Twin Cities Lakes.

Fish: Bass aand some Big Bass live in the slop during the summer. It provides security, shade thus cooler water, and is usually forage rich. If you don't see green weeds and baitfish activity in the slop. You probably won't catch bass.

Location: Slop area's are easy to find and inspect because the slop is visible. A little off water research and a quick spin around some area's will show you what's there.

Presentation: A big part of slop tactics is having heavy tackle to get the fish up and out before they can bury themselves and snag you up. Superlines and Medium Heavy gear at the lightest are called for. You have to let the fish tell you what they want for a presentation on a given day. Several may work (ie Scum frogs, weedless/weightless plasics, jigs, texas rigged, maybe even buzzbaits/spinnerbaits if there are big pockets.) Or maybe they will really only hit one aproach only (unweighted plastic creature bait fished dead sticked for 30 seconds to two minutes in pockets.) Sometimes one of the presentations will catch bigger fish than the others.

Presentation is one of my favorite aspects. Focus on one techniche at a time. I would recommend texas rigged plastics both weighted and unweighted or else on fishing bass jigs. If you are not sure about what gear is best. Go to the nearest tackle outfitter and they will set you up with the best your budget can afford. Make no mistake. Better quality costs $. This is true of Rods, Reels, Line, hooks, but may or may not be true about lures. Many a great lure is found in the bargin bin of coarse many a crappy one is as well.

This is just a start. There will be more from me and hopefully from others.

PS. Most of us bass guys look down on live bait. The reasons are numerous. Live bait can get expensive fast, it can die, lures fished right can be more effective and efficient, walleye fisherman use it and their mostly dorks, knobs, geeks, wimps, wannbe's and wussies. Though truth be told I learned to bass fish using live frogs with a hook through the cranium. Yes bass can be caught on live bait, but why? Where is the challenge in that, it's like trolling crankbaits (one more reason why walleye fisherman are lame.)

[Guest]

Lpg, One more thing for now.

Get of your butt, turn off the tv and computer and get that boat in the lake. Preferalbly taking a "good hook" along who can show you the ropes.

Ok two more things for now.
If you can financially swing it. Fish an American Bass Anglers tournament or two. Or find out about a local tourny and go to the weigh in. Just be honest about how you are a beginner and I am sure a lot of guys would tell you how they caught there fish and why they fished that way.