What's Working Now?Fishing Reports.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I notice that this post is pretty popular in many forums. So, I thought I would give it a shot in our forum as well...So, what you catching your fish on?

[Deitz Dittrich]

I'll start it off.. I am up to 83 bass landed this season.(my goal for the season was to fish more jig worms and keep track of how many bass I catch.).. .So, as you may guess it I have caught quite a fish on the jig worm lately. Jig-n-pig has worked well too, and so has my stupid rig...

The key has been hard bottom outside weed edges, these fish have come out of post spawn and that seems to be where you are finding the numbers of fish. A few fish have been found around docks, but they seem to be smaller fish.

[Kab Dreamin]

I have only fished Minnetonka for bass and spinnerbaits and other topwaters have not been very productive at all. I have only caught one bass (3 lbs) on a Zara spook and one on a scum frog. All of the others (about 45-50 in four trips) have come using senkos or gulp sinking worms rigged weedless or wacky. Dark colors have been the best producers fished right at the edge of the weeds in 5-10 fow. A lot of fish in the 1.5-2 lb range, a few smaller but several in the 2.5-3.5 lb range. Can't seem to find a real pig, yet.

Waiting for the spinnerbait/buzzbait bite to kick off.

Here's one from last week that my son caught.

[Fishin4Life]

Senko's seem to be the hot item for me this year. I have caught a few on spinners, but those usually just end up getting a stray northern and such. I have had the best success with the blueish/silver colored senko. Not actual "Senko" brand either, I guess I should call them Stick baits. I have been using the "Yum" which have salt on them. Seems to work the best for me. I generally rig them up Wacky style, although I have used a few Texas rigged, which produced a few fish. Here is a pic of one caught on a secret lake .

[Ihateriversnags]

On opener I was using black 6 inch gulp lizzards. Fishing the inside weed edge in about 5 feet of water and using no weight. Worked like a charm. However lately nothing has been working up in my neck of the weeds.

[ikeslayer]

Good post deitz. As some of you might have seen the big marine post you know that some fish were caught on monday. But here is what worked. Early when sun was still behind trees senkos and buzzbaits. As sun got higher we fished tight to shore and found fish on the edge of the weeds (they weren't reeds and they weren't cattails but some other kind of weed that came out of the water) Sometimes you could see the stalks move right before they hit your lure or took off if you got to close. However we caught them on brush hogs, Zellamanders, senkos and spinnerbaits. Our best hours were from 7-10 a.m. When the sun got really high we hit docks with little sucess. We could see them under there at times but when you moved within skipping distance they would take off. Very tough however our biggest fish came from a dock that had cover close by and it fell victim to a tiki stick in sweet potato pie color. We fished the island and some other prime cover and nothing. We also fished jig n chomper around some wood (beaver house) and had sucess. We tried slop and couldn't even get a blow up. That is my report good luck and keep them coming. ike

[bmc]

Was out today, mid day near here on a very clear lake. I fished the shoreline emerging cabbage beds from about 2-8' of water. After catching a few on a chart/orange willowleaf spinnerbait, I put that away and tried for the first time ever whacky rigging a 7" silver yum dinger w/ a 1/0 gamakatsu circle hook. Needless to say I went through a couple of the baits in about 2 hours. Nothing real big, but the 13-14"er's I caught all came on the whacky rig. I'm just starting out bass fishing so it was awesome to get another technique down!

Brian

[st.crioxfishin]

I've been out alot so far this year and haven't done to bad.

On opener I did well on the inside weedlines with senkos. A few weeks later on the same lake it was slow, only little ones. Seemed to be in a postspawn pattern

Last week I began to do well again on a different south metro lake. Caught a lot in the pads on a horny toad in the morning. Then moved out to 10-14ft with a jig worm and got 3 bass, with the biggest being 18in (I'm really starting to like those jigworms)

On sunday in the evening jigs in the pads seemed to be the ticket.

All these fish were from south metro lakes.

[Mr. Pike1]

When I combine small mouth and large mouth I have surpassed the century mark for bass this year. My top ten list is as follows:

1. Senko- For the third year running my most effective presentation. Mr. Pike may become Mr. Senko

2. Tube- I like the Gitzit tubes for size and action. Fleet in Oakdale carries a large assorment of these. Natural colors, watermellon/pepper, motor oil, crawfish.

3. Mepps number 0 and number 1 aguila in white with silver blade. Exude twister tails added as trailers. Bonus gills and crappies will hit this presentatiion as well.

4. X-rap in perch and clown- Surprise lure of the year in my opionion for the smallies.

5. Rapala number 7 perch shad rap. Twitched like a top water.

6. Rapala DT 10 firetiger or parret crank bait for the deeper edges. Watch out for Mr. Pike or Musky as they are attracted to this as well.

7. Jig and grub twister tail. Realed in like a crank or jigged in deeper water.

8. Mimim Minnow- Another surprise bait that has been in my box but limited usage. I also had a day where I got 20 or more walleyes on the same mimic minnow. There is one rigged and ready for the weekend.

9. Scum frog- I am more of a dock, rocks, structure, and weed edge guy but if you are fishing the slop or pads this will work and when the fish surges from below to bust at the bait it is an awesome sight.

10. Mepps Timber doodle- Produces in structure and for the most part weedless. Pike like it two so be prepared.

* One bonus presentation that has worked is pulling the standard walleye lindy spinner combo along the weed edges with a live crawler or berkley/gulp crawler. Has produced well for bass and of course pike and walleye.

- I have not had success with the standard spinner bait but will continue to throw white as my favorite and few other colors. I also have not tossed a lot of top water baits or buzz biats but will be trying these out. For now the ones mentioned have been working so I have not had time to work these into the rotation but I will if I am on a body of water and the fishing is tough.

[dan2957]

WOW Deitz!

83 fish already, are you sure you are not counting dinks HAHAHA just kidding. Jigs and spinners baits have been working for me this year. I have also been throwing a 4 inch grub that is working very well in 12-15 FOW. I am going to work on that jig worm thing this year too. Seems to work so far. Good luck.

[Fever]

Well I'm not sure of the # but I am probably in the 60's or so for Bass. This is including a trip up to the Grand rapids area on bass opener for 8 nice large mouth & Mille Lacs trip last week where I had the privilage to battle with a few very agressive & strong Smallmouth. I caught about a dozen on Mille Lacs three of which were 18 +, Largest of these was a 19.5 inch pig. All of the Smallies were hiting Skitter Pops in 3-6 fow near rocks. What a blast. I have pictures but don't know how to post. Around these parts (West Metro) I have been hoaning my worming techniques. Mainly Texas rigging with Berkley powerbaits, Gulp, Yum tubes, and a few other brands. No real hogs around here yet but have landed a few 17's. Mostly 12-15's though. My league fishing partner lives and dies by the spinnerbait, and to tell the truth he has probably caught just as many if not more as I have to this point. I hit Waconia yesterday early am, expecting some larger fish... Nope, just 12's and 13's all hitting real light on my worm, and smaller tube presentations under docks, near the outside edges, in and very near reeds, as well as Kegs and North reefs. The green Spinner bait was shinning for my partner though... I did throw a buzz bait and tricked a couple 13 inchers. Last fall I boated a 22.25 incher there using MY (worm) techniques so he can have all those little ones he wants. I think ALL the bass in the metro have had to of seen numerous spinners cruzing by there heads because anyone/anybody can cast one of those and reel it back. It takes a bit more casting/fliping and overall skill to master the art of the plastic... League night again tonight & windy as heck. Bigger weight and maybe a 10 inch worm... thats all.

Fever

[Deitz Dittrich]

Well, up to 97 bass for the season now with my biggest fish of the season.. 5lbs 8oz.. I am waiting on permision from Mepps to post the pict as they are to be using it for a promotional pict.. If they say its ok.. I'llpost the pict.. it was a beautifull fish... many of my fish however came on soft plastic jerkbaits today.. worked VERY slow.. many fish came from 7-9 feet of water. My brother caught his largest bass of his life.. this fish was 19 1/4" but only weight exactly 3 lbs.. can you say POSTSPAWN.. this fish was sooo skiny it was almost turned inside out!

[st.crioxfishin]

Fever,

wheres your league fishing tonight?

[SluggoMaster]

Dietz is the man! I have only managed to rustle up 85 fish so far this year. I'm gaining on him though!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Slug- I would be willing to bet your fish per trip catch is better than mine... You may have forgot, I'm a school teacher, I can fish every day now... My goal for the bass season is to reach 1000....

[DeBo101]

Here's my report from a small lake with gale force winds yesterday. Boated 7 from 12"-18". Lost a good one on the jig and missed a wild one on the buzzbait. The old reliable jig n' craw produced the most and biggest like normal but had some fun in the short time a threw a buzzbait. I was surprised that I didn't catch any swimming a jig or on the spinnerbait. Spinnerbait was a hot bait last weekend. Decent evening of fishing considering the weather. All fish on the jig were a bit deeper than usual 7-10 FOW.

I know the post spawn skinny pain all to well though. Got a 20 1/4" on Saturday 4lb 8oz. Caught a 20" back home this spring that was 6lb 10oz. May we all catch long and fat ones.

[SluggoMaster]

Dietz,

You have a good point. I only manage four or five days a week on the water these days. 1000 fish is a tough goal, but if you fish almost every day, it is attainable.

I try to manage five fish a trip, but it does not always happen. I never count anything less than 12 inches, so that raises the bar for me.

Good luck!

[JJA]

Hey Dietz:

What exactly is a Jig Worm? How do you rig it and what is the presentation?

Thanks,

Jon

[Deitz Dittrich]

JJA- Jig Worm=Jig(typically a mushroom head jig, you can use a round ball jig too) and a plastic worm.. Jig Worm...I will use straight tail worms in 4" and have been using a Mr.Twister Comida quite a bit lately too...as far as presentation, cast it out and let it sink to the bottom and then fish it like you would any other jig. The beauty of the jig worm is the exposed hook. .yes it gets caught on weeds but you want it to.. any resistance and you snap your lure free, this is usually when you get the bite.

Well, boated 10 fish today, biggest was 4lbs 10oz... all were deep.. Howedy to 2fish whom I saw this morning on the lake.. always fun to meet a fellow FM member. I did manage a few smaller fish on the wind blown bank with a soft plastic jerkbait that was weighted.

[delmuts]

i haven't fished as much as many of you.( been working on the panfish!) did go last night for a hour and a half. caught three 2-2 1/2 lbs, and one little guy that was only an inch longer than my tube! had on eblow up on a buzzbait, and lost one on the tube.( barbless hooks do that sometimes ) puts me up to 9

[Mr. Pike1]

Well Dietz has set the bar pretty high at 1,000 bass for the 2007 year. I am multi-species angler and am comfortable I will surpass that number for bass/walleye/pike/musky. For Bass (smallmouth included) I am a couple of fish over the 100 mark.

This weekend my wife and daughter are away so weather permitting I hope to get for a morning and an evening run on Saturday and Sunday. I will be at the cabin on Vermillion a few weekends and for 10 plus days in July. I should be able to have 25 plus smallmouth days while up there and a mess of eyes and a pig musky or two.

For tomorrow the lake I will be hitting had a good walleye bite going last weekend so if that bite is on it will limit my bass angling. I do have two new presetation I wish to try. After having such great success with the mimic minnow after it was sitting on the bench I have decided to dust off another lure that has not been touched this year. The old sluggo. The other bait I actually need to purchase to try is sold at Thorn Brothers. It is like a sluggo and called the Omar/ogar something or other and was designed by one the guts at thorn brothers. Looks like it will produce. I will be making the run to Thorn brothers mid-afternoon. Maybe see an FMer or two.

I have yet to purchase the chatterbait which has been touted this year and most likely will not. It sure looks nice on some of the videos I have seen but no one I have spoke to has put in the magic lure catagory.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Del- are you barbless in Iowa, or do you just go barbless?

[Corey Bechtold]

Deitz, I like your new avitar.

Nice job with the Basses. I hope to get a fish over 20" this year, Largemouth or Smallmouth.

As for what's been working for me lately, Bass around 6-8" attacking my Power Tubes . If there are that many small Bass around where are the big girls?

Later dudes,

Corey Bechtold

[Deitz Dittrich]

Corey, the bass are just comming out of post spawn and are fairly spread out.. I have yet to run into many "schools" of fish deep.. but there are a few pods of fish starting to group up a bit deeper..

Thanks on the avitar.. thats my biggest to date this year so far.. it went 5lbs 8oz.

[Mr. Pike1]

Got out for 5 hours this morning. The bite was average but no big fish. I got a total of 18 bass but nothing over 17" The best bait was the Mepps #0 and #2 Aguila followed by the senko and tube. I also got a few on a topwater torpedo type bait with blades.

* On the way in I bumped by prompt on rock or wood and put a little ding in it. I did not have time to try to test getting on plane. Well I will find out tomorrow if I can not get on plane of pull to one side will need to get new prop.

Big fish thus far for Large mouth is the 22" in my aviater and a 18.5 smallie

Taking my dad on the water Sunday for fathers day but will be chasing pike,pannies,and eyes.