It pays to experiment and pay close attention.

[EBass]

Have you even been outfished by your buddy in the same boat? Well, if you have then you know that it can be frusterating to say the least, especially if its your boat.

So this past weekend I take my buddy Rob out on the Sippi for some smallie action or hoping to get into some smallies. We find a very fishy looking area to fish. Nice boulders, current, sand and nice drop into 6-7FOW.

So I go with my trusty 1/8 oz jig and curly tail grub 4" bright yellow as that was the ticket a few weeks ago. So I'm casting away, and casting and ticking the bottom. NADA, toss out the tube and no bites, toss out a crankbait and nope. While my buddy puts on 1/4 jig and a larger profile plastic (can't say what it was as my buddy will want to destroy me) Any ways, he catches a pocket bass, then another, then an 18" smallie. I'm like what the...

So he gave me the same lure and I tried it. He catches a 18.5", then a 19" and another 16". And I'm like what the... (OK I'm getting schooled now)

He tells me to let it hit the bottom, then shake it and pause, then shake and pause, etc...

So I tried it and bam pocket bass, then bam 16" then bam 17" next to the boat then he nails a 20" and I get a walleye Yup shocked, but back it goes. (Sorry Rob no walleye sandwich)

However, he was still catching more than me like in the 15-16" range and I'm like what the... Since he was using power pro and I was using mono he had more abrupt shakes and my mono stretched. So I had to almost snap jig it and pause to make up for the stretch. (Picky fish) But that did help out on my catch rate, well kinda..

Since the water is so chilly they aren't hammering the bait but rather a slight tick or your line would stop drifting and they'll be on. Again I had to pay close attention as I missed quite a few while they picked it up and I'm like Hmm reeled in a bit and they dropped it.

But as time went on I gained "a feel" for it and got some 15-16" fish as the sun went down.

Also, if you weren't doing this method exactly, you couldn't buy a bite (well live bait works to, but not as good as this did) The reason we came up with this is because another boat drifted down the same area and didn't catch a single fish as my buddy was still nailing them and even on back to back casts. Heck even I mustered up a couple fish. That boat stayed around for a while probably trying to figure out what we're doing, but I still didn't see them catch a thing. (They weren't that far from us, kind of reminded me of Mille Lacs or Red Wing on how close they got, well OK not that close, but you get my drift.

The moral of this story is to not be afraid of trying something different and larger this time of year and pay real close attention to your line and try to envision on how to work said lure. And it helps to have a buddy who reads BASSMASTER.

I'm going back tomorrow

[BigMike]

Quote:

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Have you even been outfished by your buddy in the same boat? Well, if you have then you know that it can be frusterating to say the least, especially if its your boat.

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EB - sounds like this happens a lot from your boat Big Smallies for everyone but EB. JUST KIDDING! Hey, you're just being a good guide right!

You are right about a couple things: bigger profile baits are really producing some good fish and the bite is very subtle in a lot of cases! If you feel ANYTHING different, subtle taps, limp line, nothing when there should be something (tapping rocks, etc.) set the hook!

Good luck out there tomorrow EB! I wish I was out fishing I've got a bad case of the bass shakes right now!

[delmuts]

that is why fishing is so interesting!! been in the same boat for bass and with crappies too.( and read that the walleye guys face it too.) just some little change in techneke(sp?) color, size, ooooor ??? you just never know!! del