Hunting Big Bass

[Bob La Londe]

They all look bigger in the water. <br /><br />This spring I did some of my first sight fishing during the spawn. We spotted many good sized fish during pre-fish outings and caught a few. One particular area rather amazed me. As backwater lakes along the river go it is rather deeper than average. I spotted a lot of fish up shallowon deep banks spawning in the smallest of ledges. On one spot I noticed an easy five plus guarding a bed, and an amazingly large bass cruising out off the ledge or drop. If I had to guess I'ld put that fish in the 12-15 pound range. I haven't seen that many big fish up close so... take that with a grain of salt. For comparison it looked a lot bigger (to me) than this 11.48 a friend of mine caught a week later in a different area. <br /><br />My friend's 11.48:<br /> http://www.yumabassman.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=bassfish;action=display;num=1117413687 <br /><br />I have never caught many fish in that particular backwater, but I have heard it is a rather well known spawning area. <br /><br />Anyway, I am curious as the water temps rise where I am most likely to find those big fish. It is a deeper than average backwater (8-9 feet). I know in another deep backwater of similar depth I have caught or hooked a few nice fish later in the summer. The conventional wisdom around here though is that the majority of the fish head out for the river as the temps climb towards our searing summer heats, and there is no doubt that they guys who flip the main river in summer tournaments weigh in a lot of decent fish. <br /><br />So if you were to go hunting to for that big girl this late in the year where would you look for her? <br /><br />For any who may be passing this info on to my local competitors. Its a difficult backwater to access. If you know the river that should put them right on it. LOL.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

Not knowing your particular river makes it difficult to figure. I would say that your spawn is over now, but those monster females are hungry now. I would mark where the feeder creek channel meets the main river chanel. Position yourself downstream of your marker and use the current to move your bait past where the channels meet. Work this entire area as far as depth goes untill you find them. Best I can do from here.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

excellent advice lubedude

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

ya, I caught a bass once.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

hey lube whats been working on a rig for you in your neck of the woods?

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

Originally posted by rongreen:<br /> hey lube whats been working on a rig for you in your neck of the woods?

My home lake, Ten Mile, has been different for me this year, the water has been unseasonably high by a couple of feet. This has caused the weeds to grow fast to get to the surface and now that the lake has gone down some we have weeds heavier than usual. I have been still using small worms wieghtless letting them fall slowly into pockets in the weeds or on the outside edges. I know of a couple small drop offs that are producing also. I mean very small drop offs. This lake is esentually flat at about 15' so a slight drop off can be a big deal. Its a natual lake and has no channels at all and just a mud bottom in most places. Feeder creeks early are doing well also. Rapala has a supending bait out, dont know how long it has been out but I just found it this year. Its a pencil bait about 4 1/2" long and will dive as you retrieve it slightly. Its also been a killer early and late.

 

[BassCat73]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

I fish a 3hr. week night tournament during the summer. You bring one bass back with you to the weigh-in. Winner is determined by length. If the conditions are warm and sunny, I head right for the lilly pads and slop. I'm only looking for 1 kicker fish, so I'll spend the whole time using two baits – a slop frog and a 7" worm, running over the top of the pads with worms in the open pockets. I'll get deep into the stuff where most anglers don't come close to getting into.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

love frog fishing should be on in a couple of weeks at gunntersville,nothing more heart pounding!!also a 3/4johnson spoon with a big trailer works good

 

[BassCat73]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

Hmm, don't know much about spoons. I'd like to give them a shot on my lakes because I don't think guys are throwing them much, if at all. So, if I want to pick up one spoon lure, what should I get and and what are the basics for using it. Oh yeah, what kind of trailer too?

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

I think he's talking about the Johnson Silver Minnow. It's weedless and pretty much crawls across the lily pads on its back. Dressed up with a trailer, like a split-tail pork rind, it's a classic largemouth bait for working the weeds and slop.<br /><br />You can drag it across the top of the stuff, then let it drop into any holes...it flutters on the way down.<br /><br />Get the big one, as rongreen says...3/4 oz. There aren't a lot of bassers using these today, but they're classics, and give the bucketmouths something new to look at. Most bass will never have seen such a thing and they might think, "Dang! Look at that there shiny thang! I'm gonna eat that sucker before Bubba over there sees it." <br /><br />After that, it's up to you.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

the 3/4 is the best. they come in silver,gold and black.i use a bass pro cajun trailer on them in white.you can fish them on top or as deep as you want just adjust your speed of reeling,

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

Originally posted by Bob La Londe:<br /> They all look bigger in the water. <br /><br />This spring I did some of my first sight fishing during the spawn. We spotted many good sized fish during pre-fish outings and caught a few. .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Picking bass off beds is about the worst thing you can do to your fishing area. It really rubs me the wrong way when people do that. ANYBODY can catch large bass off beds. It takes no skill what so ever other than being able to cast into the area. Around here it is considered a lowlife thing to do. If you like your fishing area and want to keep catching bass leave spawning bass alone.<br /><br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><br />

Originally posted by Bob La Londe:<br /> So if you were to go hunting to for that big girl this late in the year where would you look for her? <br /><br />.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />Deep is where you will find her. I would venture a guess that those large sows will be in at least 10 to 15 of water relating to some sort of structure most of the time, moving shallow late in the night to feed for a few hours. Not sure of your layout but they will migrate quite a ways after the spawn if they have to , to find the deeper water.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

I will have to disagree with the Flathead on the point of "It takes no skill what so ever other than being able to cast into the area." Bed fishing take lots of skills and it's by far the hardest thing for me to do, I prefer to not goes for them cause it take up too much time. Now, ethical or not to bed fish is up to everyone opinion and peoples will argue about it forever.<br /><br />BassCat> give the Heddons Moss Boss spoon a shot, they come in green, white and black. Get all three color, they come with trailer. Throw green when the frog bite is on, white on clowdy day and black when it's bright and sunny.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

Nope ,, no skill to pull a big bass off a bed. My ten year old nephew could pick off 5 and 6 pound fish all day during the spawn. If you have a hard time catching big bass off beds I cant imagine your frustration the rest of the year. Were are talking BIG bass here, as the topic says.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

Not sure where to wieghin here so to speek. If you fish durring the spawn at all, you are catching pre spawn fish regardless of if you see them or not. If ya think Im gonna stay home for a month out of the year you are nuts. Because I rarely fish tournaments, I release them where I catch them though.

 

[Ron G]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

lube is right i ve been to fork for a week through everthig in the box coulnt catch a fish for three days everbody said you had to sight fish didnt want to but tried it little difficult a t first but by the end of the week i was hooked got some nice 7 and 8 lb took pictures let them go in seconds they were back on the beds.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

It's easy to fish during the spawn and not disturb the bedded fish. DONT FISH WHERE THE FISH BED!!! No brainier. Any bass fisherman worth a hoot can spot a bedding area at a glance. Those 7 and 8 pounders are sows full of eggs. As you can tell I feel very strongly about fishing for bass on beds.<br /><br />Many states have strict laws regarding the taking of bass off beds, it is obvious we need those laws with the likes of some anglers that can't seem to take care of their own sport. They just cant seem to help themselves from taking a bass at it's most critical cycle and most vulnerable time. <br /><br />On a positive note todays angler does not seem to be stuck in the old school train of thought for the most part, there are those exceptions as is obvious in this thread. The modern angler is armed with the knowledge that catch and release is very beneficial, and fishing bedding areas is very counter productive.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

Even though "ALL" the bass dont spawn at the same time, you are not going to catch fish durring the spawn unless you fish where spawning bass are. They will either be waiting to get on beds, fanning beds, or bedding. You catch a fish durring that time of the year, your catching spawning fish.......

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

What part of "bedding area's" don't you understand LD. You sure can catch fish during the spawn away from bedding areas. I do it all the time. I even catch one full of eggs ready to burst once in a while,, driven off the beds into deeper water by the bed fisherman. Being a big time "GUIDE" you should know this!! Keep it up and maybe you'll guide yourself right out of what ever kind of miserable business you might have. <br /><br /><br />I am done here.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Hunting Big Bass

Oh come on now! I can't take this anymore Flathead. What you're saying doesn't make any sense at all. Any experience bass fisherman know that not true. A fish on bed get spook off its bed will come right back and never in a million year will it bite anything off the bed. They don't eat until after spawning, the only reason they bite while on bed is to get rid of the intruder(bait) on their bed. The story about your 6 yrs old nephew catching bedding bass all the time? Ya'll must have been fishing in a pond or something. If you're in a boat and to be close enough to cast to the bed, once the fish see you. IT'S OVER! You can spend the next 2 hours poking at it and get nothing. I doubted a 6yrs old have enough casting skills to be far from the fish not spooking them and then able to cast onto it. Seem that you know so much about "bedding areas" tell me where they are, location on the lake? depth? water temp? time of year? base on water clarity, weather condition. If you catch fish away from the actual bed, those are staging fish and they do eat before getting on bed. Do you know anything about staging area? that what lubedude was trying to say, staging is part of the spawn.