Lizard question 2025

HesterIsGod reply :

There are 3 ponds right by my house that I KNOW do not have lizards or salamanders or anything similiar inside them.

Would it be completely futile to fish soft plastic lizards in them if they do not contain them as forage? Or does it not matter, the bass just recognize them???

Jake. reply :

I have never seen a single lizard or salamander in or near any of the local ponds I fish, yet a Zoom 5" Lizard is one of my most productive baits during the late pre spawn and spawn.

I think a lizard is just a natural enemy of the bass, and they strike it out of instinct or aggetation.

Marty reply :

Quote
Would it be completely futile to fish soft plastic lizards in them if they do not contain them as forage? Or does it not matter, the bass just recognize them???

It wouldn't be futile. The bait has to appeal to the senses of the fish and that isn't dependent on what critters live in a given body of water.

Alpster reply :

There are no lobsters living in my house, but I will eat one if it shows up. LOL Bass aren't nearly as smart as we give them credit for being. They will feed instinctively. They don't have a menu and refuse any offering that isn't on that menu. Otherwise, you might never catch a fish on any lure. I find it interesting that modern lure makers are making baits that look exactly like bait fish, in every detail. Compared to old Heddon poppers, balsa baits and chugbugs modern anglers should be catching a 100 times more fish than our grandfathers with such realistic baits, but WE ARE NOT. If you are catching them with a lizard, I would say you are onto to something that works.

Ronnie

EastTexasBassin reply :

I doubt there's any lizards or newts in the ponds I fish, but a c-rigged lizard does very well for me.

I think the only important thing is that it looks alive.

Ballpark Frank reply :

Like The Jake, I have never seen a lizard in the waters I fish; ponds, rivers, or streams. Last year is when I started fishing plastics seriously, and the lizard was my most productive bait. I used them from spring to winter and always caught fish.

Jimzee reply :

Ask Randall if there are any trout in the lake where he fishes...all the while using a Triple Trout or Hud swimbait and catching those monsters.

HesterIsGod reply :

Okay, thanks for the quick responses.

I figured you guys would say "fish them" but I wanted to make sure. This should help my confidence fishing them. I know that creature baits work well and they look nothing like any forage. I will fish them, just wanted to run it by you guys first and if you guys say they work for you they should work for me;).

garry77 reply :

I don't think the bass necessarily sees a lizard the same way we do.I thought about this one day when I watched a bream sneaking into a bass bed.The fish nosed down at the eggs and its side fins and tail were working.The bass came over and slammed into the bream and ran it off.I throwed worm after worm into the bed and no luck.I Trigged a watermelonseed lizard and whammo!I have a theory that the legs on the lizard imitate the fins on the nest robbers.Just a theory B.S, or otherwise lol.

Bassnbrett101 reply :

Quote
There are no lobsters living in my house, but I will eat one if it shows up. LOL Bass aren't nearly as smart as we give them credit for being. They will feed instinctively. They don't have a menu and refuse any offering that isn't on that menu. Otherwise, you might never catch a fish on any lure. I find it interesting that modern lure makers are making baits that look exactly like bait fish, in every detail. Compared to old Heddon poppers, balsa baits and chugbugs modern anglers should be catching a 100 times more fish than our grandfathers with such realistic baits, but WE ARE NOT. If you are catching them with a lizard, I would say you are onto to something that works.
Ronnie

I am ;D lol. sorry i just had to throw that out there

DrumintheSuds reply :

Keep throwing that lizard (especially around spawning time). I promise you won't find anything in your box that gets a better reaction from a bass guarding a bed. Lizards tick huge bass off instinctively.

I have been killing the bass with them the last few weeks here in North Carolina. I play with them in my neighborhood pond during the winter to learn how to work them in a life like manner. That "play time" pays off big time for me.

Colors?

Black with Chartreuse tail

Watermelon

Any kind of pumpkin or green pumpkin

Cotton Candy

I prefer the Zoom lizards and the Culprit brand

senile1 reply :

Quote
There are no lobsters living in my house, but I will eat one if it shows up. LOL Bass aren't nearly as smart as we give them credit for being. They will feed instinctively. They don't have a menu and refuse any offering that isn't on that menu. Otherwise, you might never catch a fish on any lure. I find it interesting that modern lure makers are making baits that look exactly like bait fish, in every detail. Compared to old Heddon poppers, balsa baits and chugbugs modern anglers should be catching a 100 times more fish than our grandfathers with such realistic baits, but WE ARE NOT. If you are catching them with a lizard, I would say you are onto to something that works.
Ronnie

Ronnie is on target. Bass will eat anything that looks good. Gobies are a good example. They weren't introduced into the Great Lakes region until around 1990 via contaminated ballast water from transoceanic ships. They are now a main forage of smallmouth bass in the region.

Chad. reply :

I always fish lizard up here in Canada bass love them.

Bass XL reply :

Someone told me (or I may have read it in a magazine) that the bass cant tell between a plastic lizard and a plastic worm. The onlything diff. is that the lizard puts off more vibration.

MN Basser reply :

In "Al Linders Largemouth" fishing secrets movie, he uses a Lizard up here in Minnesota. He catches a ton of bass and a lot were lunkers. I can garentee there are no lizards here in MN let alone in the lakes haha. I'm going to be trying lizards out a lot to start the season..

Big-O reply :

great all around soft plastic, year around. I understand that Rage Tail is coming out with a new lizz in a couple of months that will rock. Can't wait to see it on the market.

bassfanatick reply :

Oh man let me tell you, I just started using the zoom lizard this year in the pumpkin and charteuse color and they just cant stand it

FishTank reply :

You can't beat a black and blue Zoom Lizard. Out of the soft plastic I use, they always produce the most vicious strikes.

Del from philly reply :

to the originator of this post:

try and change your mindset. i used to think the same way....

Think about creature lures, nothing looks like them in the water, and they have been VERY productive for me....and everyone else.

while its always good to try and match the lure with what the bass are eating, it is in no way neccessary...90% of my catches are off of lures that are not really imitating anything in specific...

iv heard lizards really shine in the spawn like nothing else. For me, i just bought my first lizard plastics- the yamamoto, and cant wait to try it out!

WIII-60 reply :

Quote
There are no lobsters living in my house, but I will eat one if it shows up.

Sometimes I wish there were a thread of the best quotes by members. This would be one of my nominations. Direct and unobtrusive, but humorous.

I have used a lizard in a lizard-less lake and i caught fish with it.

Catt reply :

But guys y'all aint matching the hatch

roadwarrior reply :

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But guys y'all aint matching the hatch

Ain't that something!

Location, time of year, action and profile...

BTW, What does a 7 1/2" Larew Salty Ringtail Worm represent?

8-)

blake83 reply :

the lizard is natural enemy of the bass. the lizard eats the bass's eggs

AKFerzy7 reply :

Quote
the lizard is natural enemy of the bass. the lizard eats the bass's eggs

not exactly. but crawfish do!

Catt reply :

Quote

Quote
But guys y'all aint matching the hatch

Ain't that something!

Location, time of year, action and profile...

BTW, What does a 7 1/2" Larew Salty Ringtail Worm represent?

8-)

HAWG

BassFishingMachine reply :

Out of all the places I fish only one of them holds salamanders, and not many at all. For me lizards don't work so well, I tryed them a few times with little to no success, altough the pickerel do seem to like them, but that doesn't say much :.

Now I don't believe because they do not live in the area of water your fishing the bass are not going to hit them, but I do belive prey that bass eat more commonly in that area of water will get bit more easily. Although I do great with creature baits, but the reason for this IMO, is because most look like (to me atleast) crawfish, frogs, or some type of insect. I do talk to people who tell me they do great with lizards in the same body of water I don't do so hot with them. I personally think all anglers have different baits they do well with. So try the lizard, if it works for your then congrats, if not it might just not be a bait you personally have success with. But all in all its definetly worth a shot, you can always fall back to baits you have more confidence in if it comes to that.

Ky_Lake_Dude reply :

NO. A lizard is probably my #1 springtime plastic lure. I have never seen any lizards around the lakes I fish. I believe that salamanders eat bass eggs and that is why bass I think have like a instinctive reaction

fishizzle reply :

Last time I checked, there weren't any buzzbaits in my pond, but the bass love em.

Fish it anyway--its a predator-- you don't need to match the hatch--thats for trout

detroit1 reply :

I didn't know that so many of our family were BIOLOGISTS! How did you find out that there were no sallies in the waters you are fishing? I was just wondering..i learned long ago that just because you don't see something doesn't mean it's not there. :-?

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Lizard question 2025

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