I think it would be cool to compile a list of people secret bed baits. There are some crazy things people use out there and I think the BR community would like to hear about them.
Mine is a White Super Fluke on a Shaky Head whats yours?
Thanks for sharing.
well they are secret....
On 4/14/2015 at 3:08 AM, bassinbrady03 said:...Mine is a White Super Fluke on a Shaky Head whats yours?
No longer a secret!! They may not eat it anymore!
I use monster lizards on bed texas rigged, anywhere from 8" - 12" ones. The bait is to big for the males, so they just keep attacking it but can hardly move it. The female seems to get tired of watching the male not do his job of protecting the bed and moves in to get the job done. It sounds silly but it's very effective.
I have quite a few, my baits are based on what the reaction of the fish is if I bed fish. I'll just say most of the time it's a jig, tube, hardbait, worm, fluke, A-rig, swimbait.
Storm bluegills under a bobber.
Flukes on a darter head.
Jigging a spinnerbait.
Bass locked on a bed are usually fasting, and not interested in food.
In my opinion, if there's any secret to catching bedding bass
it's not so much the lure itself, but your delivery technique.
There's usually a hot spot in every bed, where trespass raises the hackles of parent bass.
'Any' drop-shot lure dangling over or laying on the hot button is going to provoke parental concern.
Roger
Here's my take. I'm with Roger, it's the delivery.
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html
On 4/14/2015 at 6:32 AM, RoLo said:Bass locked on a bed are usually fasting, and not interested in food.
In my opinion, if there's any secret to catching bedding bass
it's not so much the lure itself, but your delivery technique.
There's usually a hot spot in every bed, where trespass raises the hackles of parent bass.
'Any' drop-shot lure dangling over or laying on the hot button is going to provoke parental concern.
Roger
^^ This! ^^ I drop shot a super fluke, I also like to use a hammer swimtail.
On 4/14/2015 at 6:32 AM, RoLo said:Bass locked on a bed are usually fasting, and not interested in food.
In my opinion, if there's any secret to catching bedding bass
it's not so much the lure itself, but your delivery technique.
There's usually a hot spot in every bed, where trespass raises the hackles of parent bass.
'Any' drop-shot lure dangling over or laying on the hot button is going to provoke parental concern.
Roger
"Is going to provoke parental concern"
I like that line, it's classy! Of course, I don't like parental concern in general...................
On 4/14/2015 at 7:18 AM, Senko lover said:"Is going to provoke parental concern"
I like that line, it's classy! Of course, I don't like parental concern in general...................
You might grow to like it when it's your turn.
On 4/14/2015 at 7:35 AM, Dwight Hottle said:You might grow to like it when it's your turn.
Oh, it's good for me. My parents always tell me they hope I have a kid like me. Honestly, that'd be just fine. We'd fish every day. Sounds great!
If I had to pick one bait with fish on a bed, it would be a big lizard or a crawfish. Fish on a bed are going to defend their territory and they flat out don't like lizards or crawfish except in their stomach.
I use gill nets. Usually I will net the whole flat and sort them out later. It's better that way cause then I know I didn't miss any big ones.
if there is such a thing as a "lock" for catching bass off beds it's a live bluegill. make sure it's legal in your state before you try it.
when it comes to artificials, i'm with several others here. 90% presentation. 10% bait choice. there are several little tricks you can use to improve your chances with any bait.
interesting about the delivery, but since this thread asks about baits, im going to name a couple anyways. Lizards of course are a classic. but i also love the pit boss in this situation.
On 4/14/2015 at 8:57 AM, geo g said:If I had to pick one bait with fish on a bed, it would be a big lizard or a crawfish. Fish on a bed are going to defend their territory and they flat out don't like lizards or crawfish except in their stomach.
Technically, lizards are land animals rather than aquatic creatures.
If a lizard falls out of a tree it's capable of swimming on the surface, but they can't swim underwater (Salamanders, YES)
Most creatures that are seized by bedding bass don't end up in their stomachs.
More often, the intruder will be ushered outside the nesting territory, then ejected.
This is why many bed-fisherman use small lures, so the bass don't carry the critter by the tail and avoid the hook.
Roger
On 4/14/2015 at 9:30 AM, paul. said:if there is such a thing as a "lock" for catching bass off beds it's a live bluegill. make sure it's legal in your state before you try it.
when it comes to artificials, i'm with several others here. 90% presentation. 10% bait choice. there are several little tricks you can use to improve your chances with any bait.
Care to elaborate
On 4/14/2015 at 3:31 AM, Penguino said:well they are secret....
laughed so hard.
On 4/14/2015 at 9:44 AM, RoLo said:Actually, lizards are land animals they're not aquatic creatures.
If a lizard falls out of a tree it's capable of swimming on the surface, but they cannot swim underwater (salamanders, yes)
Most creatures that are seized by bedding bass do not end up in their stomachs.
More often, the intruder will be ushered outside the nesting territory, then ejected.
This is why some sight-fisherman use small lures, so the bass don't carry the critter by the tail and avoid the hook.
Roger
Yep have experienced this a few times. Ill toss a nightcrawler to a bass and it will inhale it swim about 25'-30' away and spit out the crawler, go back to bed. I specifically showed my son this one day.
A lizard replicates a salamander not an actual lizard which is aquatic, and will destroy bass eggs. These have always been a productive bed bait for me.On 4/14/2015 at 9:44 AM, RoLo said:Actually, lizards are land animals they're not aquatic creatures.
If a lizard falls out of a tree it's capable of swimming on the surface, but they cannot swim underwater (salamanders, yes)
Most creatures that are seized by bedding bass do not end up in their stomachs.
More often, the intruder will be ushered outside the nesting territory, then ejected.
This is why some sight-fisherman use small lures, so the bass don't carry the critter by the tail and avoid the hook.
Roger
ETA: I saw you mentioned a salamander, but I just wanted to add that a lizard replicates a salamander and not a lizard.
I don't know why your all hung up on a colloquialism like lizard… yes, it is supposed to look like an amphibian. It's just a name. Horny toads are lizards, not toads, but we all know what someone means.
As far as nesting fish just clearing the bed, the article I linked above addresses that exact situation.
I could not agree more with J Franko. It obvious to almost everyone that although the package says lizard, it represents a salamander. If you want to get technical, some lizards are quite aquatic and spend a great deal of time swimming., even under water!
My water is to dingy to see beds and the rare times I do see them I cant catch the fish .
Small and white gets the bite. White Baby Rage Craw on a darter head is my go to. I keep it small and low pro because they are only picking it up to move it off the bed. If you use a bigger bait often times you will set the hook and come back with half a lizard or half a worm because the intention was never to eat it, only to pick it up.
Zoom Fat Albert on a 1/16 shakey head or something similar. I prefer pearl white and I'll dip the tail in red Spike it or JJs magic. I won't shake it though, I'll just slow reel it through the bed and more times than not, the fish will grab it.
On 4/14/2015 at 7:38 PM, J Francho said:I don't know why your all hung up on a colloquialism like lizard… yes, it is supposed to look like an amphibian. It's just a name. Horny toads are lizards, not toads, but we all know what someone means.
As far as nesting fish just clearing the bed, the article I linked above addresses that exact situation.
Words are the only tools we have to communicate.
A Bass Resource thread centered on "Secret Baits", is not a good time to misuse those tools.
Land lizards are basically Brown or Green in color, whereas salamanders are Orange or Red and vividly spotted.
The "plastic lizards" marketed by bait companies are indeed colored to imitate a lizard and not a salamander.
If you've never turned over rocks in a stream bed, you may never see a newt or sally in your life (urban myths die hard).
Roger
Has anyone actually seen a salamander try to sneak into a nest guarded by a bass and try to nab a few of its eggs ? Just doesnt seem likely to me .
Water dogs are prime suspects.. Wait, are those lizards, amphibian or dogs? Lol.. I know they all work in plastic & water dogs are often used " live"
On 4/14/2015 at 9:06 AM, hatrix said:I use gill nets. Usually I will net the whole flat and sort them out later. It's better that way cause then I know I didn't miss any big ones.
d**n! Dat Dar is funny. Haha...
In all seriousness I agree with what RoLo said. It's all about that "sweet" spot on the bed. The ol' "spot" on the spot.
Mud puppies, and they're brown, are what I see a lot of in spring during the spawn.
On 4/15/2015 at 12:12 AM, J Francho said:Mud puppies, and they're brown, are what I see a lot of in spring during the spawn.
Mud puppies??
I had them yesterday for lunch........Oh wait a minute, they were corn dogs
Roger
Geez, that thing is a monster..
On 4/15/2015 at 12:22 AM, J Francho said:http://legacy.earlham.edu/~lanest/sizescale.jpg
When you free-line your dogs, do you prefer tail-hooking or the standard snout-hook-up?
I know a rage shellcracker really ticks off bedding fish...
On 4/15/2015 at 12:27 AM, Alonerankin2 said:Geez, that thing is a monster..
I've seen them twice as big.
On 4/14/2015 at 9:44 AM, Brayberry said:Care to elaborate
here's a few.
i prefer baits/rigs that stand up on their nose. simulates something possibly trying to munch on the eggs when worked properly.
most people are not aggressive enough when trying to provoke the bite. they are too hung up on the notion that you have to tease, coax, or finesse the fish into biting. you are not trying to seduce the fish into biting. you are trying to aggravate it into biting. don't be scared to whack them in the tail or side with the bait (as long as it's not something that might accidentally snag them.)
initially you want to work the bait when the fish's back is turned to it. many times this forces them to whirl around and look at the bait (which is exactly what you want.) when they do turn around to look at the bait (at least initially), don't do anything. rinse and repeat. many times this game of "i'm only going to move when you're NOT looking" will make a fish absolutely come unglued.
how you set up on the fish is crucial. if they can see you and associate you with what's going on with the bait in their bed many times it's game over
you need the male to catch the female. many times the female will not engage at all until the male is fired up. catching the male to "get him out of the way" is a no no.
keep the bait between the bass and the shallow water part of the nest. an approach from the deep water side cuts off the bass' escape route and makes them more wary.
if you are not getting results, come back a different time. in a couple of hours, a neutral or negative fish can become red hot.
there are attracting moves and there are triggering moves. some bait movements will get the fish interested but never get them to commit. if you continue with the attracting moves with no real commitment from the fish, try something else because sometimes fish will quickly lose interest in even the attracting movements if you don't find a way trip their trigger and push them over the edge.
On 4/15/2015 at 9:16 AM, paul. said:here's a few.
i prefer baits/rigs that stand up on their nose. simulates something possibly trying to munch on the eggs when worked properly.
most people are not aggressive enough when trying to provoke the bite. they are too hung up on the notion that you have to tease, coax, or finesse the fish into biting. you are not trying to seduce the fish into biting. you are trying to aggravate it into biting. don't be scared to whack them in the tail or side with the bait (as long as it's not something that might accidentally snag them.)
initially you want to work the bait when the fish's back is turned to it. many times this forces them to whirl around and look at the bait (which is exactly what you want.) when they do turn around to look at the bait (at least initially), don't do anything. rinse and repeat. many times this game of "i'm only going to move when you're NOT looking" will make a fish absolutely come unglued.
how you set up on the fish is crucial. if they can see you and associate you with what's going on with the bait in their bed many times it's game over
you need the male to catch the female. many times the female will not engage at all until the male is fired up. catching the male to "get him out of the way" is a no no.
keep the bait between the bass and the shallow water part of the nest. an approach from the deep water side cuts off the bass' escape route and makes them more wary.
if you are not getting results, come back a different time. in a couple of hours, a neutral or negative fish can become red hot.
there are attracting moves and there are triggering moves. some bait movements will get the fish interested but never get them to commit. if you continue with the attracting moves with no real commitment from the fish, try something else because sometimes fish will quickly lose interest in even the attracting movements if you don't find a way trip their trigger and push them over the edge.
Good stuff paul, you ever ran a female off the bed? Boy it's happened to me... Just bolt! Of course she typically comes back, after a cooling off period..
GYCB Kreature, Fat Ika's, and Zoom Lizards. Nothing that is too much a secret or scientific.
I just set a finesse tube in the middle of the bed and wiggle it until something happens. Something always happens and since it is so small the hook up ratio is pretty nice
So when does Eric Snowden get here?
Aint heard no secret yet!
What paul & Roger said should be basic knowledge; I'd copy & paste that to Micro Soft Word for future reference.
Secret bed fishing lure!
Roboworm 4" FX Sculpin; color Ayu - 8Z30
1/0 straight shank round bend hook
1/32 oz bullet weight un-pegged! Optional 1/16 oz
Reffering back to paul, ya don't wanna get in a staring contest with the female, ya want play "freeze" with em!
Hotspot within the nest; cast beyond it & agressively move into it.
Agressive but short movements!
I want more than a shake in place kinda thing but I don't want 1 or 2 movements to take me out.
On 4/15/2015 at 6:04 PM, Catt said:So when does Eric Snowden get here?
Aint heard no secret yet!
What paul & Roger said should be basic knowledge; I'd copy & paste that to Micro Soft Word for future reference.
Secret bed fishing lure!
Roboworm 4" FX Sculpin; color Ayu - 8Z30
1/0 straight shank round bend hook
1/32 oz bullet weight un-pegged! Optional 1/16 oz
Reffering back to paul, ya don't wanna get in a staring contest with the female, ya want play "freeze" with em!
Hotspot within the nest; cast beyond it & agressively move into it.
Agressive but short movements!
I want more than a shake in place kinda thing but I don't want 1 or 2 movements to take me out.
The aggressive movement advice put a nice fish in the boat for me today. For 15 minutes I kept a bait in front of it, right on the bed, tried drop shot, various other lures. Finally just remembered what you said as I read this thread the other night. First time I aggressively ripped the lure across the bed, BAM! she inhaled it. Thanks!
In my experience presentation has as much to do with the strike as the bait itself . I've thrown a Texas rigged worm into a bed multiple times with no strike I then took the weight off and let it sink slowly into the bed and it got slammed .
Bubblegum Senko.
I agree with the spot on a spot, especially for smallmouth.
When a bass picks up lures by the tail, put the hook on the back and a nail weight in the head.
On 4/20/2015 at 9:27 AM, basseditor said:Bubblegum Senko.
I agree with the spot on a spot, especially for smallmouth.
When a bass picks up lures by the tail, put the hook on the back and a nail weight in the head.
That technique may or may not work depending on the bait you're using, plus me being impatient, I'm probably not going to totally re-rig with a bass right in front of me.
So secret I'm not saying, lol. Give ya clue, get a fly vise, jig heads and buy some marabou.
TON's of information on this site about this topic. Just TONS:
GO!
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass_spawn.html
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/spawn_bass.html
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/spawning_bass_bed.html
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot_beds.html
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/sight-fishing-bass.html
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/largemouth-bed-fishing.html
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/largemouth-bed-fishing.html
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bass-spawn-catch.html
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/catch-bass-spawn.html
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos/bed-fishing-tricks.html
I don't target bedding fish on a regular basis, I try to find the flat and then fan cast a Carolina rig with a floating tube or craw, or some type of fluke style soft bait. If I see a perfect spot I know there is going to be a bed, I always have a drop shot rigged up, if you let a bait hang in the nest or off to the side and rig any soft bait that has a floating tail and a nose down posture, but I have done well at times using a popper to mimic the sound of a feeding bluegill, and I seem to do best with the Rapala Skitter pop as it sounds like a bluegill and is easy to keep in one place longer than most poppers. I did well this year simply casting the Sebile Flatt Shad suspending lipless crank which is larger in size similar to a 3/4 oz Red Eye shad, but it is silent and suspends nose down perfectly and is perfect for not spooking fish yet pushing vibrations and it handles weeds really well. only the 77 size suspends, and I do best with the gold color on overcast days, and chartreuse silver glitter is my go to color any other time, or a bass/bluegill pattern.
I get annoyed when I fish with someone who spends more than a few minutes trying to get a bass to bite a soft bait over and over, but I usually turn around and start covering water, really any bait works if you bring it by a spawning fish or any fish moving up at the right time, speed etc...
key is finding the spawning flat, and then if only catching small males, you need to figure out where the next drop off is from the flat that offers an escape route, cover of some sort either weeds, underwater structure, and a 1' depression could be all you need. I always do best in Spring with crawfish colored cranks or something with chartreuse in it, I stay away from shad patterns, and for soft baits you can't beat a craw, creature, or fluke imo....Shaky heads are great if you find hard bottom and a drop off. Usually early in Spring the critter craw style baits work better with less movement, if active, the speed craw, rage bug style baits are good, but you can never go wrong with a rage craw in green pumpkin rigged any way you want.....That bait has the best look on the fall and when swimming with the Yum Mighty craw a close second.
Secret bait? ROBOWORM PITCHIN' CRAW. They discontinued them a few years ago and somehow I dug around the deep internet and found like 40 bags of em'. If you ever find any in the Chartreuse/White pattern, BUY ALL OF THEM
The only bedding fish I target are peacock bass. A marabou jig which I tie myself is as good as I've found.
A plain ole tube always works