I have been on this site constantly over the past couple of months (Found Large Mouth Bass in the lake on the backside of my property).....read these posts if you would like more info on where I am fishing.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1187466317/0
Here is my question......
I am still having huge issues catching fish during the day. From 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I catch 5 - 10+ fish every night. (Usually between 1.5 - 4 lbs) 6 lb. last week was the biggest so far.
In just over 2 months I have really only caught maybe 6 fish during the day, anywhere from 6 am - 6 pm
I was out all this weekend and only caught one fish during the day....come 7:00 p.m. they start biting like CRAZY.
I have tried buzz baits, soft plastics T-Rigged, Poppers, Scum Frog, Heddon Moss Boss, and a Jitterbug.
I pop the frog and Moss Boss over the lilly pads, pull the buzz bait and other topwaters along the edge of the pads.
I have read all...or most of the tips and applied most at one time or another....They work after 7 pm....
Here are pictures of my lake
North Side
Causeway I fish from
South Side
I do not have a boat so I can really only fish the causeway and surrounding areas.
I am loving the Peace and Quiet at the Lake...just would like to have a reason to go there during the day.....
I feel more like an Opportunist than a Fisherman.....
Thanks In Advance
If I had a lake that pretty, and producing 6 pound bass, i would atleast invest a little bit of money on a cheapie used jonboat, or hell even a pair of wader's. You can probably find a used jon boat for less than 150 buck's, easily...it will be worth it. if your like me and even too broke for that just wade out in the friggin water, it doesn't look that deep.
Shallow clear waters are best fished under low light conditions so fish at night or try days with heavy cloud cover.
QuoteIf I had a lake that pretty, and producing 6 pound bass, i would atleast invest a little bit of money on a cheapie used jonboat, or hell even a pair of wader's. You can probably find a used job boat for less than 150 buck's, easily...it will be worth it. if your like me and even too broke for that just wade out in the friggin water, it doesn't look that deep.
X2!!!!!!!
Invest a couple hundred and grab a small jon boat or even a canoe and go explore your property. You have a gold mine there!
Find the deepest part, there could very well be an old creek channel or hole that holds the majority of the fish in the high light hours.
Awesome roadbed,...pay attention to that, fish will use it like we use a highway.
Beautiful lake. You are blessed to have such a beautiful setting to fish.
Sometimes the fish do not want to bite due to the barometric pressure or the temperature.
However, with so many places to fish in your lake may I suggest you continue to throw some topwaters as you are doing but down-size them in the daytime.
Have you thrown a Senko? Texas or wacky rigged?
What about a 10 inch unweighted pink trick worm? Wiggle it in the pads and grass and along the edge of the pads and see if you get any takers. Use a 2/0 hook, either straight shank or EWG. A weedless hook can work, too.
What about throwing a finesse worm rigged with the weedless hooks or Texas rigged and a 3/16 ounce pegged bullet weight into the pads? You can also use a Brush Hog or Creature bait. Something small and then something with a lot of bulk to see what they want at that time.
Any place you can try your luck with a jig and pig?
And what about plastics colors? Have you tried watermealon or watermealon with red flake? Pumpkinseed? June Bug? Mocassin Blue?
Thrown any Gulp! worms?
Also, don't forget the Swimming Senko. I caught only one on it as I have thrown it only once because I love my buzzbaits too much to throw the Swimming Senko but give it a try.
There may also be a hidden "hole" where the fish go for the cooler water and higher oxygen levels in the daytime and then they get active when the sun goes down. They may also be way into the pads and grass. You may have to throw a Senko out into the lake to try to find where they are staging during the day.
Part of fishing is trying to figure out what the fish want and when. Keep a diary and soon you may see the pattern that the fish are telling you.
Yesterday, on my way from Fork Union to Stafford, I stopped at the Monticello Pond (Thomas Jefferson's Home) on Route 53 and caught only baby bass. No big ones. I was limited to the shoreline and I did not fish a lot in fear of being thrown off the property so I did not have the time to walk around the pond. So many times the bass just do not want to feed during the day. They will be content just to sit there and watch the world go by.
Let us know what you find out and consider the other suggestions you will be receiving on this post.
Have fun experimenting.
I think Sam is hoping you have NONE of these lures so you'll say "Geez Sam, I don't have any of that stuff, why don't you come down one day and we'll spend the afternoon exploring"
ALL good suggestions though!
LBH,
Man, would I love to do that. Beautiful fishing spot.
And I was also thinking, which is always dangerous, about dragging a six inch finesse worm over the pads using a 1/8 pegged bullet sinker. Be sure you have the line strength to pull them out of the pads.
As you know, drag the worm over the pads, let sit; drag some more; let sit; drop into holes; jiggle; continue to drag back over pads; let sit; etc.
Watch for the pads to move or just get ready for an unexpected strike.
Fishing pads can be fun but you will need patience.
I think LBH nailed it about the roadways and other deep spots in the lake. I bet the fish are running up and down the drop offs and then they travel into the shallows in the evenings and at daylight to feed.
This lake may be your early AM and late PM paradise!
There is really no particular reason for not catching some bass during the day, you already know they are there. Just stick with it and throw some soft plastics (Fat Ika, Senko, Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube). Maybe work them a little slower or try a moving bait like the Kreature or Senko Swimbait. In low light, I'm pretty confident that the Cavitron Buzzbait will produce a few bass for you, too!
ya got a beauty there...
looks like clear water. Clear water can be tough fishing...especially when you do not have the flexibility to move around so you are not casting shadows etc etc. My father in laws pond in his subdivision is this way...hot in the morning...hot in the evening...and slow during the day.
You say you feel like an opportunist and not a fisherman...
all fisherman are opportunists! knowing conditions, time of day, lures to throw...that is just making opportunities! The best opporutnists just know exactly where to fish, at what time of day, with what lure, under what conditions!
We fished James lake in Indiana a few years ago. It is a glacial lake and clear as a bell all the way down. We were catching them off this channel where it entered the lake and the water had current and thus was a little dirty...but out in the clear water we were just frustrated! It took awhile for us to get the right combo of gear going to catch anything. I wish I remembered exactly what we ended up with but I do remember we had to strip all braided line off the rods and put on some flourocarbon...and one rod of light mono. We could see the line in the water from the boat so surely the fish knew it was there as well.
be patient and experiment. and I would fish as slowly as I could tolerate without getting bored.
QuoteThere is really no particular reason for not catching some bass during the day, you already know they are there. Just stick with it and throw some soft plastics (Fat Ika, Senko, Micro Munch Tackle El Gordo tube). Maybe work them a little slower or try a moving bait like the Kreature or Senko Swimbait. In low light, I'm pretty confident that the Cavitron Buzzbait will produce a few bass for you, too!
Yep,my thoughts exactly.
Just get a couple of different profiles of plastics.For example,some trick worms and some creature baits.
Holy Crap...Great responses.....
I should have mentioned that I am in Ontario, Canada...
I have been here for over 4 years.....never thought to fish there....I never liked fishing too much...til I was bored a couple of months ago and took my rod with me for a 4-wheeler ride. (it was just after 7:00 p.m.)
I had a 20 yr. old rod/ probably with the 20 yr.old line that came with it....a hook and some plastic worms I found at a Yard Sale... Drove my 4-wheeler onto the causeway...threw in the worm and proceeded to pull 9 out that night...no pliers...no additional hooks, worms, line etc... Just the rod/reel, hook and worm...
I got home and told my wife....she told me I was Full of S__T.... Only time I have ever told my wife to smell my hand... :-/
In the last 2 months I have been raped by the Bait Monkey
2x Rod/Reel for my wife and I
Plastics, Plastics and more Plastics
All of the lures listed below
I am looking for a Jon Boat...but haven't found one yet.
These are the plastics I have been throwing.....either T-Rigged or Wacky
-Powerbait 7" Worm (Red Shad)
-Wave Worm (Brown & Green)
-Bass Assassin Worm , Crawfish, paddle tail, Lizard - Various Colours from pink to Black/Blue, white, natural
-Slurpies (Silver, Bronze, w/ Chartreuse tip)
Topwaters
Jitterbug (Yellow)
HulaPopper (Frog Pattern)
Buzz Bait (White)
Scum Weedless Frog
Scum Weedless Mouse
Moss Boss x 2 (Yellow, Black)
Rapala J9 x2 (Black/Silver, Orange/White)
I do not have any Senkos...can't find them anywhere around here. > Only at Bass Pro and that is 2 hours away
I use my ATV to sit on the Causeway....The water drops off quite a bit on either side...
Hope that answers some questions......
I am gonna try some more tomorrow....Keep them coming
Thanks Again
Questions are what we do;)
Couple things, seeing as how you are admittedly new.
You don't need a glove to handle the Largemouth Bass. The teeth are the equivalent to sandpaper. Bass engulf their prey and then crush and descale it in their throat.
Look at some of our sonsors to save some money on tackle. For soft plastics, I highly reccommend ***. Great prices, great service
now on a sidenote--a 6lb bass in Ontario is no friggin' joke!! You have terrain, exclusivity AND genetics going for you. Like I said earlier. GOLD MINE
Enjoy it and ask away. (but only while you look into getting afloat!)
GETTING AFLOAT
Ribbit
Amazing looking lake! All you need in a little private pond like that is a texas rigged 5 inch senko and just start casting
QuoteQuestions are what we do;)You don't need a glove to handle the Largemouth Bass. The teeth are the equivalent to sandpaper. Bass engulf their prey and then crush and descale it in their throat.
GETTING AFLOAT
I only use a glove cuz I have my own business.....and going to see customers and the like looks bad when it looks like I ran my Thumb over a belt sander.
What kind of Frog is that?
Beautiful place with really clear water. To me that means fish deep when the sun is up. You've already proved that the fish are there. They just moved deep when the light hit. I'd try a Fat Ika. You can cast it a long way, and you can fish it a lot deeper than a Senko, when it's rigged "backwards".
I saw what looked to be a lot of healthy weed growth. The bass could also be buried down in the weeds. Punching a t-rigged plastic down into the pockets and channels in the weeds could be the ticket. That's gonna be hard to do from shore.
Cheers,
GK
well thats tricky. i woul say to fish the heaviest cover you can find. if there is a tree close to shore. then pitch ajig or soft plastic to it.
Are there any alternatives for Fat Ikas?.....I thought they sold them around here, but cannot find them anywhere...... :-X
Someone had mentioned them earlier as well.
I was out from 1:30 - 8:00 again today. Nothing until 6:30 :-[
1:30 - 6:30 - 0 fish
6:30 - 8:00 - 6 fish
This is everything I tried
- Hollow Bodied Frog dragged over all of the cover...slowly and pausing
- Jitterbug (1x Black, 1x Frog Pattern) along the lilly pad beds
- Hula Popper (Frog Pattern)
- Buzz Bait (White)
- T-Rigged
- Crawfish (Watermelon Red)
- 7" Power Worm (Red Shad)
- 5" Wave Worm (Brown, Green) Like a Senko
I tried Over, Under, Through the Weed Beds and Lilly pads - Nothing :-/
I sent the Wave Worm well out into the deeper water (Casts really well) - Nothing :-/
I think I need a boat for fishing during the day.
Dude up the road from me has an Aluminum Boat sitting beside his garage...hasn't moved in years....I am going to ask him if he wants to sell it.
I cannot find a reasonable price around here for a 10' - 12' Aluminum Boat everything I have found is upwards of $600 and that is without a motor or a Trailer.
I saw Bass Pro has new 10' Jon Boats for around $500 .... I will pick one of these up in the Spring if I do not find anything between now and then.
Again...thanks for all of the suggestions
QuoteIf I had a lake that pretty, and producing 6 pound bass, i would atleast invest a little bit of money on a cheapie used jonboat, or hell even a pair of wader's. You can probably find a used jon boat for less than 150 buck's, easily...it will be worth it. if your like me and even too broke for that just wade out in the friggin water, it doesn't look that deep.
I cannot find a 10' - 12' boat around here for less than $600 (and that is without a motor)......The water actually drops off to about 5' deep on either side of the causeway. The causeway is a gravel road that was built there to have access between farms.
I just sit on my ATV and wear Rubber boots and move up and down the causeway.
I will be getting a boat for sure in the Spring if I do not find anything between now and then.
whats your zip code? I have plenty of experience in looking for boats =)
I am in Ontario, Canada......
I have found a few canoes for around $350 but none of them had the flat end where you could mount a motor/trolling motor,I would like something I could eventually put a small motor and/or a trolling motor on.
Try looking on craigslist for some decent deal's. I was very surprised to find out how many boat's were for sale on it.
you should get a bellyboat...
I use a really beat up canoe to do my fishing on my local lake..occasional bailing and only one seat. I have no motor and am paddling by myself. I picked it up off craigslist for $40 (they wanted 200) , and just down the street from my house.
Good luck!
Thanks for your fishing guidance.
I love fishing very much.And I really enjoyed it.
I looked through Craigslist and a couple other sites....nothing posted that is reasonable.
I placed a couple of wanted adds on the sites....hopefully something will come up.
If not I am just going to get the 10' Jon Boat that is t Bass Pro for around $600 in the spring.
Thanks again everyone
QuoteI looked through Craigslist and a couple other sites....nothing posted that is reasonable.I placed a couple of wanted adds on the sites....hopefully something will come up.
If not I am just going to get the 10' Jon Boat that is t Bass Pro for around $600 in the spring.
Thanks again everyone
I would go wtih the Jon Boat anyway. My personal opinion.
But you could probably get one cheaper than that.
15 yr old used boats around here are being listed for around $500....that is just for an old 12' aluminum rowboat...no trailer, motor etc.
Don't know if people just don't list cheaper boats or what it is.