help me catch a bass... =/ 2024

irbombardmnt reply :

Hey everyone, after reading a bunch of articles on this website, I finally decided to join the forums. I am here in need of advice to catching my first bass; its been a month already and all ive caught were some sunfish. Ive been fishing every weekend at a large private lake, but unfortunately I don't own a boat so I'm stuck fishing off the bank. I currently use a spincaster reel on a 6-1/2 ft rod and have had no success with spinner lures and bass (havent tried anything else tho). The lake is called Packanack Lake incase anyone wants to look it up (I can't post links yet because I'm new here). But yeah... I really want to catch a bass and I'm getting really frustrated with these smaller fish. This weekend I'm gona try a small pond called Barbours Pond (15 acres) and hopefully it will be worth it. In preparation for future fishing weekends, I was hoping I could get some advice/tips for both small and large lake bank fishing... so yeah, please help me out :'(.

Hammer 4 reply :

Up at the top of the page on the home page, there are articals re: catching bass, I took the liberty of providing a link for you. Read as much as you can, as thses will really help you get going.

http://www.bassresource.com/beginner/beginner.html

Good luck... 8-)

Little Luey reply :

My first bass came 2 years ago on a spinnerbait, before that day I was always optimistic about catching one. Stay positive, keep trying, keep learning. Every time I go out I want to come back home with at least one new thing learned.

There is a thread by Road Warrior, it is colled something like "guarantee to catch fish" or something like that, look it up and follow his instructions.

DINK WHISPERER reply :

Listen, go somewhere that sales lures and get yourself a couple of 1/2oz Rat-L-Traps(or other lip less crankbaits) if you don't already have some. A few colors to consider are chrome/black or blue back, natural shad and fire tiger if the water is pretty stained. Just cast and retrieve it back. Be sure to change your retrieve speed until you find out what they want that day. These have never failed me anywhere! Also, look into some spinnerbaits in white/chartreuse and shad patterns. Work these the same way. Best of luck!!!!!

irbombardmnt reply :

Quote
Listen, go somewhere that sales lures and get yourself a couple of 1/2oz Rat-L-Traps(or other lip less crankbaits) if you don't already have some. A few colors to consider are chrome/black or blue back, natural shad and fire tiger if the water is pretty stained. Just cast and retrieve it back. Be sure to change your retrieve speed until you find out what they want that day. These have never failed me anywhere! Also, look into some spinnerbaits in white/chartreuse and shad patterns. Work these the same way. Best of luck!!!!!

I've been using a white spinnerbait and no luck with that, before I leave for fishing I'l pick up two crank baits I guess.

more advice anyone? thanks for the responses

Hawghead reply :

Roadwarrior has a great post that he usually copies and pastes into these types of threads. I will see if I can find it.

DINK WHISPERER reply :

Quote

Quote
Listen, go somewhere that sales lures and get yourself a couple of 1/2oz Rat-L-Traps(or other lip less crankbaits) if you don't already have some. A few colors to consider are chrome/black or blue back, natural shad and fire tiger if the water is pretty stained. Just cast and retrieve it back. Be sure to change your retrieve speed until you find out what they want that day. These have never failed me anywhere! Also, look into some spinnerbaits in white/chartreuse and shad patterns. Work these the same way. Best of luck!!!!!

I've been using a white spinnerbait and no luck with that, before I leave for fishing I'l pick up two crank baits I guess.

more advice anyone? thanks for the responses

Make sure they are lipless crankbaits with loud rattles. Don't give up on them man, they produce!!

roadwarrior reply :

Here ya go:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

8-)

VABasser reply :

Quote
Here ya go:
http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

8-)

Ahh there is the famed thread. Nearly 15,000 views haha

little_stephen reply :

Quote
Listen, go somewhere that sales lures and get yourself a couple of 1/2oz Rat-L-Traps(or other lip less crankbaits) if you don't already have some. A few colors to consider are chrome/black or blue back, natural shad and fire tiger if the water is pretty stained. Just cast and retrieve it back. Be sure to change your retrieve speed until you find out what they want that day. These have never failed me anywhere! Also, look into some spinnerbaits in white/chartreuse and shad patterns. Work these the same way. Best of luck!!!!!

and thus starts his life long battle with the bait monkey...... all because one faithful day, we all told this guy to go out and buy more...... of everything.... lol

I dont know how much this applies to you, because i dont know about the cover you're fishing. but I got my first bass on a horny toad. REALY simple lure. toss it over lilly pads on braided line (to prevent snags in the weeds stems) and reel it in fast enough to keep it on the surface...... keep tossing it long enough & ull aggravate a fish into taking it under.

Spinner baits are a good starting place too........ I also had alot of success to start with using texas rigged ribbon tail worms (7inch). Basically baits that you can just toss to likely bass hot spots and reel back in........ I shore fish most of the time. And What i can say is this.... "Weeds, Downed Trees, & Docks are your new best friends! Fish any of them your lure can reach!

Good luck. and let us see when u land that first one. no matter how small or large! ;D Now Get Fishing! You've Got That First Bass To Catch!!!!!

little_stephen reply :

thought id show u my quick progression...... all these fish were ethier shore caught or landed from cover that I could reach from shore but decided to hit while i was in a rented canoe on my favorite small lake.

HAMMER23 reply :

Your probably better off not catching one, because when u do your life and your pocket book is about to go for a ride. At times it will consume every thought going through your head, but it is well worth it !!!

bigtimfish reply :

try a tx rigged worm. or a topwater such as a torpedo. slow retrieve then pause or do a twitch retrieve.

dman reply :

wacky rig a senko and just walk the shorline casting in the morning if you can.....its gonna get you that bass

bigfish88 reply :

senkos wacky or regular and top water poppers produce on all ponds for me.

sambrochill reply :

you might wanna try using some rattle traps. Rapala, strike king and other company's make them. they're inexpensive lures that are very successful for me

CODbasser reply :

throw a buzzbait early and late and a fluke anytime...if its like any other small lakes or ponds i have ever fished...you will catch more than just the first one...see if you can find some zoom fluke threads...throw it out and jerk jerk ...reel ...count to 3 then jerk jerk reel...count to three ect ect...if that doesnt work mix it up a little...try a smokin shad or pearl white color...cheap and effective

irbombardmnt reply :

wow thanks for all the advice everyone! i haven't viewed this thread in a while due to a busy schedule and im about to go get me some lures. i decided that im gona try texas rigged senkos and a lipless crankbait (hopefully a Rat-L-Trap if i can find one at Kmart). il tell you guys if i end up catching anything.

Hammer 4 reply :

Don't forget worms like roboworms either..

Btech reply :

I kinda lerned its where you place the bait and locating the bass more than what you throw at him. just fish docks brush and any layed down trees are great to throw jigs at,

make your bait look natural in the water

and read RW's Thread

keep going youll get a lunker soon and an empty wallet sooner.

skillet reply :

I started out spin casting (Zebco 33) after using same gear for Bream. The 1st bait I bought was a Mepps #3. I think it was a bucktail with silver blade. Caught a lot of Bass with it before trying something else. You can work them by casting them out and reeling them straight back in. This will catch fish or you can twitch them with rod tip, yo-yo or retrieve them fast enough to keep them just under the surface making a bulge in the water. Other than getting hung-up easily GREAT lure for just starting out. On top of all that they are pretty inexpensive, $3 and change. They WILL catch Bass ...

skillet

swilly78 reply :

Quote
Your probably better off not catching one, because when u do your life and your pocket book is about to go for a ride. At times it will consume every thought going through your head, but it is well worth it !!!

X2 LMAO!

irbombardmnt reply :

unfortunately the local kmart did not have senkos or lipless Rat-L-Traps.... so i ended up using the same spinner that brought me no bass and i recieved the same results, although i did stay in the same lake... maybe its the lake and not me?... i dont see cover or anything like that so i usually just end up casting everywhere i can, moving from place to place and still nothing...

Hammer 4 reply :

Is anyone else catching bass..?

Btw, K Mart isn't the best place to buy tackle ect, try a local sporting goods ect.

CODbasser reply :

yeah for real...if not a sporting goods store...at least go to walmart lol....check some your local marinas..they will have stuff and can probably steer you in the right direction

irbombardmnt reply :

okay so still no luck, i went to a bait shop 15 minutes away from me and they were closed at 2pm and i was about an hour late (didnt know they would close so early) from there i went driving around and my friend and i found a reservoir. we covered atleast 1/3 of the bank and still no luck with bites. my friend used a buzzbait and i used a spinner. there was another kid fishing but he was just catching crappie with live bait. afterwards we decided to end the day at our regular lake and i caught 5 crappie in 5 minutes with a rooster tail :-/, no bass... im really tired of crappie and perch. although i did speak to a local and he said that he caught 1 bass with a trout lure the previous week and that hes getting nothing with his crankbait.

question: why are there so many crappie and no bass wherever i go?

UPDATE: came back from fishing the same lake on the riprap, once again caught a bunch of crappie and perch, no bass. there was a guy fishing by me and he was using a crankbait... he ended up with nothing.

DINK WHISPERER reply :

Quote
okay so still no luck, i went to a bait shop 15 minutes away from me and they were closed at 2pm and i was about an hour late (didnt know they would close so early) from there i went driving around and my friend and i found a reservoir. we covered atleast 1/3 of the bank and still no luck with bites. my friend used a buzzbait and i used a spinner. there was another kid fishing but he was just catching crappie with live bait. afterwards we decided to end the day at our regular lake and i caught 5 crappie in 5 minutes with a rooster tail :-/, no bass... im really tired of crappie and perch. although i did speak to a local and he said that he caught 1 bass with a trout lure the previous week and that hes getting nothing with his crankbait.
question: why are there so many crappie and no bass wherever i go?

UPDATE: came back from fishing the same lake on the riprap, once again caught a bunch of crappie and perch, no bass. there was a guy fishing by me and he was using a crankbait... he ended up with nothing.

Get some Senkos and Rat-L-Traps and try again. If no luck, switch to a different pond/lake!

irbombardmnt reply :

Quote

Quote
okay so still no luck, i went to a bait shop 15 minutes away from me and they were closed at 2pm and i was about an hour late (didnt know they would close so early) from there i went driving around and my friend and i found a reservoir. we covered atleast 1/3 of the bank and still no luck with bites. my friend used a buzzbait and i used a spinner. there was another kid fishing but he was just catching crappie with live bait. afterwards we decided to end the day at our regular lake and i caught 5 crappie in 5 minutes with a rooster tail :-/, no bass... im really tired of crappie and perch. although i did speak to a local and he said that he caught 1 bass with a trout lure the previous week and that hes getting nothing with his crankbait.
question: why are there so many crappie and no bass wherever i go?

UPDATE: came back from fishing the same lake on the riprap, once again caught a bunch of crappie and perch, no bass. there was a guy fishing by me and he was using a crankbait... he ended up with nothing.

Get some Senkos and Rat-L-Traps and try again. If no luck, switch to a different pond/lake!

yeah, i really want to try them out, hopefully il get to this weekend. i just found out that the reservoir i fished in is full of bass, i obviously am doing something wrong... just dunno what it is.

InLikeFinz reply :

I have to agree with the Senko......gotta go with Senkos.

8-)

roadwarrior reply :

Quote
i obviously am doing something wrong... just dunno what it is.

Not paying attention...

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

Spend some time in the BassResource Library, "Fishing Articles" and

"Tacklebox" at the top of the page. Read every article and go to every

link. Take notes and make a plan.

8-)

Fishing Rhino reply :

Quote

Quote
i obviously am doing something wrong... just dunno what it is.

Not paying attention...

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1158577137

Spend some time in the BassResource Library, "Fishing Articles" and

"Tacklebox" at the top of the page. Read every article and go to every

link. Take notes and make a plan.

8-)

I was paying attention, and I am having no trouble catching bass. It was a new technique to me, so I had to try it. It does work very well.

It will not always be the most productive technique at any given time, but I can see where it may easily be the most consistent at putting bass in the boat, not to mention the most economical of all the suggestions.

The "KISS" method is usually the best method for starters.

Some are always determined to make things more complicated than necessary.

irbombardmnt reply :

im 100% sure im paying attention, just that im not getting any hits.

arul reply :

With all those panfish in there, I am sure Bass are there too. Ditch the spinners for now and go with natural plastics.

From what you describe, you are just targeting the wrong species with your lures. You want lures that mimic larger baitfish. For your spinning rod, I would suggest 2 types of plastics. Get a 5 inch "senko" type worm. I like the YUM Dingers. Next get a pack of Zoom Super Flukes. If your water is on the clear side, get watermelon red flake or natural looking colors. If the water is dirtier, go with a darker color like junebug, junebug red, or black/blue.

Each of these lures, rig Texasposed - check Youtube on how to do it if you don't know how. Use a 4/0 Extra Wide gap offset hook. Don't add any weight.

Just cast it out as far as you can, let it sink a few seconds. Give it a few small twitches, and let it sink again. Repeat, reeling in the slack. You are sure to get bit- I bet on it...

let me know if you have questions.

FYI - I fish from the bank a lot and don't like throwing treble hooked stuff because it gets hung in the littoral grasses.

irbombardmnt reply :

okay so I was finally able to get my hands on some senkos, but they did not get me any fish. i fished from two different sides of the lake; the riprap on the south side of the lake, and the north side of the lake (bluegill nests all over the bank). spent an hour each on both sides, got nothing, some nibles probably from the small fish, but no bass. i did exactly as told, cast it, wait it out for a while, move the rod up, and wait again. tried all along the bank and nothing at all. where the hell are all the bass? i even saw a broken branch sticking out of the water, tried it several times, nothing there. seriously why is it taking forever just to catch one? :'(

arul reply :

how big is the pond? where in the country is it? How deep can you cast out to? What is the water clarity, and what colors you using? Does the lake have any submerged vegetation in it? Or is it just a sand pit?

Make sure to give your senko a few quick twitches, then let it die for a few seconds. Just don't lift it up and let it fall like you would a ribbon tail. That twitch, twitch, twitch, pause, makes it look like an injured baitfish. You want it a little erratic, then it kind of shimmy's when it sinks like a dying fish.

arul reply :

also- I just checked out the lake on local.live.com

I suspect you are fishing along Osbourne Terrace? The problem I see with your lake on that south end is lack of shoreline cover. If that rip rap doesn't extend into more than a few feet of water, and if there is no vegetation offshore, the bass are going to not have much to relate to. Bass want to ambush their food, so they will hang out where they can hide.

You might want to try that north end with those two narrow prongs. That area would probably give more cover with all those trees along the bank, there are probably some decent submerged branches that have broken off (laydowns).

Try to find some submerged grassbeds, and you will find the bass.

irbombardmnt reply :

Quote
also- I just checked out the lake on local.live.com
I suspect you are fishing along Osbourne Terrace? The problem I see with your lake on that south end is lack of shoreline cover. If that rip rap doesn't extend into more than a few feet of water, and if there is no vegetation offshore, the bass are going to not have much to relate to. Bass want to ambush their food, so they will hang out where they can hide.

You might want to try that north end with those two narrow prongs. That area would probably give more cover with all those trees along the bank, there are probably some decent submerged branches that have broken off (laydowns).

Try to find some submerged grassbeds, and you will find the bass.

thanks arul, when i was there yesterday i got nothing from the north side of the lake. i saw tons of bluegill nests but no bass around. there was a submerged branch of a tree and i tried there a couple times and got nothing out of it. i also tried along the left prong and there was nothing, i saw a few spread out bluegill nests tho. btw, the bottom of the two prongs is covered with leaves while the area outside the prongs is just sand w/ no vegitation.

arul reply :

Have you ever heard of a bass being caught in there? If there is one, then there are plenty of others in there somewhere...

If I lived up in NJ, I would gladly go check it out with you, because it sounds like a fun mystery to crack... but alas, I am in Florida. Try the corners of the south side rip rap- Looks like there might be some outfalls or culverts there, which I always like to target. Try to cast that senko a good 100 ft. from shore and count to 30 before you start working it back, so you are sure it is getting down deep enough.

Now that I see that water, a Lipless Crankbait, might be a decent Idea to throw around so that you can find where that submerged grass is (if there is any). Toss that around and try to find some grass with it too...

J-B reply :

You could also try an old favorite...1/4 oz or 1/2 oz Little Gorge. I have caught quite few bass on those using silver, black and silver or black +white and orange. You should use these in the deeper areas of the lake, they sink like a rock and hook on to anything they pass. I also agree with many others that rubber worms and rattle traps are great.

Big Phish reply :

check your private messages. i live maybe 10 minutes from the lake your talking about. i'd be glad to help you out.

arul reply :

If you guys get together and check it out, PM me and let me know how it goes...

11079

help me catch a bass... =/ 2024

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